LDA Provides Input to National Institutes of Health Strategic Plan Development

The National Institutes of Health put out a request for information in February 2019 for stakeholders to submit specific comments that were to be submitted through an online form.  The NIH is developing a strategic plan to advance tick-borne disease (TBD) research and development over the next five years and beyond. The Lyme Disease Association, Inc. submitted the following letter in response to the request. No comments will be made back to the responders. NIH encouraged organizations (e.g., patient advocacy groups, professional organizations) to submit a single response reflective of the views of the organization/membership as a whole when possible. The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group under HHS in Washington, DC, submitted a report to Congress in November of 2018 that made the following recommendation: Recommendation 8.1: NIH: Create an NIH tick-borne disease strategic plan, with public input during creation and implementation, to address tick-borne diseases, including all stages of Lyme disease. Include in the strategic plan the coordination of research funding across NIAID, NINDS, NIAMS, and NIMH to increase knowledge of pathogenesis, improve diagnosis, and develop and test new therapeutics for tick-borne diseases. Update every five years. Click here for Lyme Disease Association letter to NIH NIH request for Information https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-19-077.html