A bipartisan group of legislators has offered bills to do whatever the state can do to help stop the spread of Lyme Disease.
One of the authors is Representative Jeff Mursau of Crivitz, whose district covers Forest county.
"...Mostly bringing awareness to what is going on. It requires DNR to have signage at parks and different places of recreation to keep people aware of what might be out there and how to deal with it. They also ensure they sell DEET in their insect sprays (at the facilities). DEET will help prevent ticks from getting on you...."
While the bills up the amount of education distributed, they also put a an advanced epidemiologist position at the Department of Health Services with the position focused on vector-borne diseases, including Lyme Disease.
A committee is also formed to report to the legislature to recommend policy.
Lyme Disease is the highest reported tick-borne disease in Wisconsin with a total of 38,394 cases between 1990 and 2015. In 2017, Wisconsin was the 4th-highest state in the nation for incidence of Lyme Disease with over 4,000 cases estimated by the Department of Health Services (DHS).