Leading Tickborne Disease Organizations Applaud Executive Order to Accelerate Action Against Tickborne Diseases

Leading Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Organizations Applaud Executive Order to Accelerate Action Against Tickborne Diseases and Advance Innovation

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Center for Lyme Action, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Project Lyme, Alpha-gal Alliance Action Fund, Global Lyme Alliance, LymeLight Foundation and the LivLyme Foundation, today applauded President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order, Eliminating Disease-Carrying Pests and Restoring Enjoyment of the Great Outdoors, calling it a bold and critically necessary step toward addressing the growing threat of tickborne illnesses in the United States.

The Executive Order recognizes ticks as significant public health threats and establishes a broad federal policy to advance improved detection, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases transmitted by these vectors. Critically, the order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, within 90 days, to build on the Lyme Disease Moonshot initiative already underway and advance research and development programs and prize competitions for rapid diagnostics, prophylactics, and therapeutics for tick- and mosquito-borne diseases.

The organizations emphasized that this action comes at an important moment for federal Lyme disease innovation. In 2025, Secretary Kennedy renewed and expanded the LymeX Innovation Accelerator partnership, including work to advance next-generation diagnostics. Teams participating in the LymeX Diagnostics Prize are now progressing through clinical validation and regulatory pathways, while HHS has identified other innovative technologies as important components of its Lyme disease strategy.

“For decades, patients and advocates have called for the federal government to treat tickborne illnesses with the urgency that this public health threat demands,” said Meghan Bradshaw, MPH, Executive Director of Center for Lyme Action. “This Executive Order represents an important opportunity to accelerate the work already underway through the Lyme Disease Moonshot and LymeX. We’re encouraged to see a federal directive that recognizes the need to move promising diagnostics, prevention tools, and therapeutics forward rapidly. Patients cannot afford for promising science to remain on the sidelines.”

The order also calls for federal agencies to advance innovative approaches to tick and mosquito control, including non-chemical methods and emerging technologies, and directs agencies to explore regulatory frameworks and expedited pathways for novel tick and mosquito control methods that are determined to be safe and effective.

“This is promising. It’s about time for Lyme and tickborne disease patients to benefit from the same scientific urgency and rigor we apply elsewhere.” -Board of Directors, Bay Area Lyme Foundation

The Executive Order also elevates alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially life-threatening allergy caused by exposure to the alpha-gal molecule associated with certain tick bites, as part of the federal government’s broader focus on diseases carried by ticks and other vectors.

“We are profoundly grateful to President Trump for this Executive Order. It names alpha-gal syndrome as a national priority, commits to reducing the ticks that cause it, and directs federal agencies to explore labeling of alpha-gal in foods and drugs,” said Sharon Forsyth, Executive Director of Alpha-gal Alliance Action Fund. “People with alpha-gal syndrome need to know what is in their food and medicine to stay safe, and we thank the Administration for acting.”

“LivLyme applauds HHS for continuing to advance innovation in Lyme and tick-borne disease,” said Holiday Goodreau, Executive Director of LivLyme Foundation. “Through TOPx and our TickTracker platform, we have seen firsthand how public-private collaboration can accelerate solutions that improve prevention, awareness, and patient outcomes.”

The federal government has already begun expanding its focus on tick control and tickborne disease research. Earlier this week, HHS announced nearly $3 million in CDC and NIH funding for innovative approaches to reducing tick populations, including research involving wildlife-targeted interventions.
Earlier federal investments in tickborne disease innovation have helped establish the foundation for the work now being advanced. The organizations said the new Executive Order provides an opportunity to bring greater coordination and urgency to those efforts and to accelerate the translation of promising science into tools that can benefit patients.

“We applaud the Secretary of Health and Human Services for building on the Lyme Disease Moonshot initiative and strengthening the commitment to research and innovation that can improve the lives of patients,” said Jennifer Katritos, CEO of Global Lyme Alliance. “At Global Lyme Alliance, we know that sustained investment in rigorous, innovative research is essential to unlocking better diagnostics, more effective treatments, and ultimately better outcomes for people affected by Lyme and other tickborne diseases.”

“For families facing Lyme disease, innovation cannot come soon enough,” said Phyllis Bedford, Co-Founder and Executive Director of LymeLight Foundation. “We see every day how devastating this disease can be for children and young adults and how urgently families need better options. We are encouraged by this Executive Order’s focus on accelerating research, innovation, prevention, and solutions for tick-borne diseases. Building on the Lyme Disease Moonshot and LymeX efforts can help turn promising ideas into meaningful advances for patients and families who have been waiting far too long.”

The organizations stressed that implementation will be key. The Executive Order establishes important federal priorities, but sustained investment, scientific rigor, collaboration across agencies, engagement with stakeholders, and clear pathways for promising technologies will be necessary to translate those priorities into meaningful outcomes.

“For too long, people living with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases have faced delayed diagnoses, limited treatment options, and years of uncertainty,” said Ali Moresco, Executive Board Member of Project Lyme. “We applaud this commitment to build on the Lyme Disease Moonshot and LymeX Innovation Accelerator. Patients need this momentum to translate into earlier answers, more effective treatments, and meaningful progress toward reclaiming their lives.”

The organizations stand ready to work with the Administration, Congress, and federal agencies, to help advance solutions.

“This is a moment to build on the momentum,” said Bradshaw. “We now have an opportunity to accelerate progress and ensure that innovation translates into tools that can improve the lives of patients across the country.”

Meghan Bradshaw
Center for Lyme Action
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