Summary: Over 5,000 patients, advocates, and healthcare providers signed a letter urging President Trump to prioritize Lyme and tick-borne diseases, with support from celebrities and advocacy groups.
Takeaways:
- The campaign, supported by celebrities, ran for 12 days using a digital advocacy platform.
- The letter emphasized the need for continued government action on Lyme disease, aligning with “Make America Healthy Again.”
- The effort is part of a broader push for legislative action and increased funding for Lyme disease research and treatment.
More than 5,000 patients, advocates and healthcare providers from 50 states signed onto a letter to President Trump that urges him to prioritize the critical public health crisis of Lyme and tick-borne diseases, and disrupt the status quo.
Several celebrities, including Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Meloni, and Ally Hilfiger supported the 12-day campaign, which ran from January 21st to February 2nd and was managed with the One Click Politics digital advocacy platform.
President Urged Renew Priority to Lyme Disease
The letter states that the first Trump Administration made progress combating Lyme disease and urged Trump to continue “prioritizing Lyme and tick-borne diseases to alleviate the burden of chronic illness on the American people and economy.”
The letter also states that “the urgent need to address the public health crisis of Lyme and tick-borne diseases is deeply aligned with the mission of Make America Healthy Again—to address the epidemic of chronic illness and protect the health of future generations.”
The Quiet Epidemic Is Campaign’s Organizing Force
The campaign was organized by the team behind The Quiet Epidemic—a documentary turned impact campaign, focused on the tick-borne disease. With bipartisan support, The Quiet Epidemic recently hosted a panel discussion and film screening at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center to unite the community ahead of a critical year for advocacy.
According to The Quiet Epidemic Co-director Lindsay Keys: “Lyme disease was first recognized in the U.S. in 1975 and 50 years later, people around the world still lack access to accurate diagnostics and effective treatments. We need the Trump Administration to intervene. This is a bipartisan issue, and we must come together to address it.”
More Legislative Action Needed
In addition to asking President Trump to support funding increases, Keys says the letter is a stepping stone toward uniting the Lyme and tick-borne disease community for future legislative initiatives, and that the #MakeLymeLoud campaign is complementary to the work of other advocates who are engaging directly with administration officials and members of Congress.
Featured Image: The first Trump administration made strides in the fight against Lyme and tick-borne diseases by launching the HHS Lyme Innovation Initiative and the LymeX Innovation Accelerator. Image: The Quiet Epidemic
