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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a broad federal initiative aimed at reducing Lyme disease cases, improving tick-borne illness research and helping patients find care.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a new federal campaign Friday to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, outlining a series of research, prevention and patient-care efforts that officials said will expand the government’s response to a growing public health problem.
Kennedy announced the initiative in New Hampshire, a state heavily affected by Lyme disease, where he said the Department of Health and Human Services will begin a multimillion-dollar pilot program, broaden work on Alpha-gal syndrome, offer new innovation prizes and help patients locate clinicians with experience treating tick-borne illnesses.
“Millions of Americans battling Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have spent years searching for answers, treatment, and support,” Kennedy said. “Today, the Trump administration is launching one of the most ambitious federal efforts ever to combat Lyme disease.”
The announcement comes as Lyme disease continues to affect a large number of Americans each year. Approximately 476,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Lyme disease annually, according to the nonprofit Global Lyme Alliance.
In a press release, HHS said emergency room visits for tick bites have reached the highest springtime level recorded in nearly 10 years. The department said it aims to reduce Lyme disease cases by 25% by 2035 compared with 2022 levels.
A new pilot program led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will focus on reducing disease-carrying ticks before they transmit infections to people. The program will target ticks on wildlife and will begin with researchers at the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases.
The effort will also include work with the Indian Health Service and the Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, according to HHS.
Federal officials said the National Institutes of Health currently invests nearly $50 million each year in Lyme disease research and approximately $122 million annually in research involving tick-borne diseases more broadly.
Kennedy also announced additional federal attention on Alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-associated condition that can cause serious allergic reactions to red meat and other products derived from mammals.
The CDC estimates that nearly 500,000 Americans are living with Alpha-gal syndrome, though HHS said the true number may be considerably higher.
NIH is expected to support clinical research into products that could help prevent people from developing Alpha-gal syndrome after being bitten by a tick.
HHS also announced three new LymeX innovation challenges with up to $2.5 million in total prize funding. The challenges will focus on public awareness, treatment and patient-care solutions, along with an artificial intelligence competition intended to help patients with Lyme disease and other invisible illnesses obtain answers and connect with care more quickly.
The new challenges build on the LymeX Innovation Accelerator, a public-private partnership between HHS and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation that began during President Donald Trump’s first term.
HHS recently launched a $10 million Diagnostics Prize through LymeX to support faster and more accurate Lyme disease testing.
The department also announced a collaboration with the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society that will allow patients to access the organization’s clinician locator tool through the HHS Lyme disease website.