HHS Tickborne Working Group Prepares Final Report

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tickborne Disease Working Group is in the process of finalizing its report for official release later in the year. This Working Group was created by the 21st Century Cures legislation to review current federal government efforts to combat tick-borne diseases, promote interagency collaboration, identify gaps in federal activities, and make recommendations. IDSA has a representative in the group and has attended meetings and submitted comments at every opportunity.

The forthcoming report includes positive recommendations that reflect significant areas of agreement regarding needed research, surveillance, and funding. Unfortunately, IDSA is concerned that some of the recommendations in the draft report could cause significant harm for patients and cause them to receive untested and potentially harmful care. IDSA has prepared a comment letter for HHS Secretary Alex Azar outlining the areas IDSA supports and areas of concern. We will continue to report on the progress of the recommendations produced by the Working Group.