According to its 2018 Mission/Function Statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serves as the national focus for developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, and health promotion and health education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.
This section provides articles on education, surveillance, research on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and ticks.
New study summarizes human surveillance data from 2011-2018 in the United States for Babesia infections reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). Data shows an increasing trend of reported Babesia cases (14,159 total) during this time period, with white men in the middle and […]
This new summary article by employees of the CDC, presents the first county-level map of the distribution of Lyme disease spirochetes in host seeking Ixodes ticks between 2004-2019 in the contiguous United States. Data compiled for this summary was from literature searches; publicly available tick-borne pathogen surveillance databases (ArboNet Tick module); and internal CDC pathogen […]
The CDC published, in the February edition of its “Emerging Infectious Diseases,” two new papers pertaining to Lyme disease case numbers. CDC indicates that the researchers found ~ 476,000 people are diagnosed with and treated for Lyme disease each year in the U.S. This is a 59% increase from their previous estimate of ~300,000. Also, CDC posted a new page to its website, Syndromic Surveillance of Emergency Department Visits for Tick Bites, showing tick bites by time, age/sex, and region.
The results of a study to collect ticks from Pike County, Pennsylvania, conducted by the Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory of East Stroudsburg University included real time PCR analysis of ticks countywide. The county was divided into 9 grids, each with several collection sites. The sites were based on use by community members and presence of […]
First announced at the HHS Tick-Borne Disease Working Group’s (TBDWG) September 22 meeting, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in a Capitol Hill Announcement, presented plans to join with five federal departments and the Environmental Protection Agency in developing the National Public Health Framework for the Prevention and Control of Vector-Borne Diseases in Humans (Framework). […]
On July 20, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered a new active ingredient called nootkatone, which repels and kill ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests including bed bugs, and fleas. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) discovered and developed the new ingredient, a non-toxic chemical found in Alaska yellow cedar trees and grapefruit skin in […]
The CDC released a report on FY 2018 tick-borne disease funding, which was requested by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The report includes an overview of the request from the Senate Appropriations Committee. It also provides an update on CDC’s work with states and progress in that area. This section includes information on Ticknet, a public health […]
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its website to include information regarding maternal-fetal transmission of Lyme disease. According to the CDC, “Untreated Lyme disease during pregnancy can lead to infection of the placenta. Spread from mother to fetus is possible but rare. Fortunately, with appropriate antibiotic treatment, there is no increased risk of adverse birth outcomes.”
The CDC formally recommends several new serologic assay testing methods recently cleared by the FDA. The Lyme disease serologic assays, which utilize a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for detecting pathogens, were cleared by the FDA on July 29th, 2019 and have since been determined to be acceptable alternatives for the serologic diagnosis of Lyme disease […]
The federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG) held their ninth meeting in D.C. on June 4, 2019 with a focus on developing the next report to be drafted for the HHS Secretary and Congress. The report will include an update on federal tick-borne disease activities and research findings. Read Meeting Summary and Written Public Comments […]