Utah has traditionally been safe from Lyme and many other insect-borne diseases thanks to its long, cold winters — but appears to be changing.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports of Lyme disease in Utah have been trending upward over the last decade and a half. Confirmed cases jumped more than 500 percent, from just three in 2000 to 19 in 2016.
Most Utahns who contract Lyme disease still get the infection while traveling the East Coast, said Dallin Peterson, an epidemiologist and specialist in insect- and animal-borne diseases for the Utah Department of Health.