If you're somewhat terrified of Lyme's disease, as I am, one thing you can do to protect yourself and relatives is wear Permethrin treated clothing, especially pants and socks[0].
After hiking, take a very close look at all of your body parts and remove any ticks. You can bag them and send them off to a lab for testing as well.
I've known multiple Lyme's sufferers. You do not want this.