Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced federal initiatives to combat Lyme disease in New Hampshire, pledging action through research, treatment and tick-control efforts as part of his “Take Back Your Health” tour.
Kennedy, who has personally battled Lyme disease along with members of his family, was at the State House on Friday alongside state and federal officials and patient advocates.
“Going in the woods to hike, to fish, to hunt, to photograph, or just to walk in the woods is part of the seminal experience of being an American child,” said Kennedy, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s a science fiction nightmare that we now live in that children cannot. Parents have to worry about their children going to the woods.”
About 476,000 people in the country are diagnosed and treated annually for Lyme disease, one of the tick-borne illnesses, according to a report from Health and Human Services.
Kennedy outlined what he described as a “major new, multi-million dollar” program effort by the federal agency, which includes funding focused on tick control, $2.5 million in innovation challenges, research funding to combat Alpha-gal syndrome, and a public-private collaboration to connect patients with experienced providers.
Alpha-gal syndrome is a tick-borne disease that, when a person is bitten by a particular species of tick, like the Lone Star, it can lead to long-term allergy to red meat.
The innovation challenges would offer monetary awards for solutions, including educational tools and public awareness campaigns, novel uses of existing medicines and drug repurposing strategies, and artificial intelligence tools to help patients receive answers and access care more quickly.
Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, Director of National Health Communications in the Office of the Surgeon General, said the initiatives could deliver benefits well beyond Lyme disease alone, potentially preventing the range of co-infections that often accompany a tick bite.
“I want everyone to recognize that you can have multiple infections at the same time from a tick,” she said. “It’s not just unilateral.”
Haridopolos also said the innovation challenges target solutions for “invisible diseases,” including long COVID.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted through a tick bite. In its early stages, it is typically characterized by a rash, fever and chills.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if left untreated, long-term effects can include arthritis, heart palpitations, dizziness, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, and other serious complications.
During the announcement, Kennedy said that one of his sons suffered facial paralysis for a year after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.
He said the effects of the illness are real and capable of devastating lives and derailing careers.
“Millions of Americans living with Lyme disease and other vector-borne illnesses have struggled for decades to get diagnoses, treatments, and care,” he said. “They deserve better prevention, better treatments, and real support.”
