Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Caucus, praised U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for new investments in Lyme disease research, prevention, and treatment on May 29.
At a press conference in New Hampshire, Secretary Kennedy announced plans to increase the federal government’s focus on programs aimed at combating Lyme disease. Kennedy called on Congress to immediately reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act, which funds research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Smith is the author of HR 4348, a bill to reauthorize the act and support tick-borne disease research at five federal Centers for Excellence. The bill would also authorize state public health agencies to collaborate with the federal government on outbreak control efforts. “I am very grateful to Secretary Kennedy for voicing his strong support for provisions of my bill to reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act and help improve the quality of life and long-term health outcomes for Lyme patients throughout the country,” said Smith.
Smith said that as summer approaches and emergency room visits for tick bites reach historic levels, he hopes Congress will move quickly on this legislation. HR 4348 recently passed out of committee unanimously with a vote of 48-0 and awaits floor action in the House.
Secretary Kennedy also announced an expansion of the LymeX Innovation Accelerator—a public-private partnership with funding from the Stephen and Alexandra Cohen Foundation—which supports prize competitions advancing innovation in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease. Smith is also author of HR 7482, introduced in February, which would codify this program by allocating $5 million toward incentivizing research through prize competitions.
“The LymeX Innovation Accelerator has already generated two FDA-approved diagnostic tests for early and accurate detection of Lyme and has yielded important innovations in the realm of diagnostics,” said Smith. He further noted new collaboration between HHS and the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases focused on reducing tick populations that spread infection among wildlife such as deer or mice.
