HHS Announces New Efforts to Address Tick-Borne Illnesses

Tick activity has been up in the U.S. this year, as emergency departments have seen the highest rate of visits for tick bites since 2017.

Matt MacKenzie

June 2, 2026

2 min read

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Key Highlights

- A pilot program will target tick eradication on animals to prevent bites and reduce disease spread.
- HHS aims to lower Lyme disease cases by 25% compared to 2022, through enhanced prevention efforts.
- The reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act will fund research and community-based strategies to control tick populations.
- Researchers are exploring ways to interrupt tick breeding and reduce overall tick numbers in affected areas.
- The initiative responds to the highest tick activity levels observed since 2017, with millions of Americans at risk annually.

HHS has announced new efforts to address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. CIDRAP has the news.

Included in the efforts is a pilot program to “eradicate ticks on animals before they can bite people.” Researchers at the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases will work with community partners on “ways to reduce the tick population and interrupt breeding with the hope that fewer ticks will lead to fewer tick-borne infections.”

A spike in tick activity has been observed in the U.S. this year; in most areas of the country, “the weekly rate of emergency department visits for tick bites was the highest since 2017. About 31 million Americans experience a tick bite annually, with about 476,000 people undergoing treatment for Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness, says the CDC.”

HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “signaled his support for the reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act, named after US Sen. Kay Hagan, who died from Powassan virus. The law provided funding and a roadmap to tackle tick-borne illnesses and was first signed into law in 2019 following Hagan’s death.” HHS aims to “reduce Lyme disease diagnoses by 25% of the number of cases from 2022.” The new initiative will offer awards in several innovation categories for Lyme disease treatment and prevention.