Denver, Colo., Aug. 26, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
(August 26, 2019) - Colorado teenager Olivia Goodreau has garnered support from some of the world’s top scientists as a leading advocate for Lyme disease awareness and research funding. Many of the world’s top researchers and medical professionals will gather in Westminster, Colo., for the second LivLyme Summit September 21-22. The forum will focus on the research being done across the globe to find a cure for Lyme Disease and the active measures being undertaken to help eradicate tick-borne illnesses. The Summit provides critical information for Lyme disease patients, medical doctors who treat Lyme disease and clinical researchers focused on tick pathogens at universities and medical laboratories across the globe, as well as medical media who are so critical to telling the stories associated with chronic diseases, including the upsurge of Lyme disease and tick-borne illnesses. Registration for the two-day conference includes 10 hours of CME credit and is free to medical doctors, researchers and college students focused on the Lyme issue. Registration information can be found at https://livlymefoundation.org/conference/.
Researchers and scientists slated to attend the two-day conference September 21-22, 2019 include:
- Adrian Baranchuk, MD, FACC, FRCPC, FCCS, Professor of Medicine at Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada
- Elena Frid, MD, Neurologist and Clinical Neurophysiologist
- John Aucott, MD, Director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center, Associate Professor of Medicine
- Joseph Jemsek, MD, FACP, AAHIVS, Infectious Disease Specialist
- Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, Head, Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Professor of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Virginia
- Lawrence Afrin, MD, Integrative Medicine, Mast Cell
- Armin Alaedini, PhD, Adj. Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at New York Medical College; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine and Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University Medical Center
- Kris Newby, MS, Science Author of “Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons;” Communications Manager and Science Writer, Stanford University
- Kristen Honey, PhD, PMP, Vice-Chair, Tick-Borne Disease Working Group; Innovator in Residence U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Jayakumar Rajadas, PhD, Director, BIOADD; Assistant Director of CV Pharmacology, Biomaterials and Advanced Drug Delivery, Stanford University
- Eva Sapi, PhD, MS, Professor and Director of Lyme Disease Program, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven
- Jyotsna Shah, PhD, CCLD, MBA, President and Laboratory Director of IGeneX Clinical Laboratory
- Jeff Stauffer, TickTracker Chief Insect Information Officer
- Susanna N. Visser, DrPH, MS, Associate Director for Policy, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Ying Zhang, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Susan Green, Attorney, Founder, Hardball-Law
- Nicole Malachowski, retired US Air Force officer, first female pilot in the Thunderbirds, former executive director, Joining Forces initiative, White House Fellow
Why Olivia’s Important Work Matters
In addition to her advocacy work as the founder of LivLyme, Goodreau developed the groundbreaking TickTracker app. The idea came to her as she was trying to determine the type of ticks that had attached themselves to her dog during a walk near Lake of the Ozarks in 2017. TickTracker helps combat tick-transmitted infections and disease by showing real time and historic tick activity data on an interactive map through reported sightings and bites. Users can find tick activity and sightings based on geo-location services and also share timely updates on tick-based illness and disease with medical providers. The free app went global in July 2018 and is now available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. To date, the app has 15,000 users with plans to grow to 100,000 users within five years.
TickTracker has received the support of top government officials and was chosen in 2019 as part of The Opportunity Project’s (TOP) 14-week “Tech Health Sprint” sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services. The app was also selected for the Department of Commerce Census Bureau’s TOP Demo Day in Washington D.C., which highlighted innovative tech tools used to solve some of the world’s most critical challenges. The Department of Health and Human Services then selected TickTracker as one of the most impactful technological creations from the TOP Health Sprint and Goodreau was invited to present at the TOP Health Showcase on the White House grounds at the request of the Presidential Innovation Fellows and Department of Health and Human Services.
Other Important Statistics
- Olivia has raised more than $1 million in two years, has given medical assistance grants to 31 kids ages 5-21 in 28 different states who are stricken with the disease, and has awarded four research grants to top scientists at Stanford, John Hopkins, and the University of New Haven.
- She has received 508 grant applications for medical assistance from kids in 48 different states and the numbers of grant applications continue to increase.
- According to the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group’s 2018 report to Congress, over the past 25 years reports of Lyme disease have increased steadily with estimated annual cases numbering approximating 300,000.
- The report goes on to say, “the number of U.S. counties now considered to be of high incidence for Lyme disease has increased by more than 300% in the Northeastern states and by approximately 250% in the North-Central states.”
- Most often transmitted by tick bites, Lyme disease has been found in all 50 states and in more than 60 other countries, which is why public awareness of its symptoms and possible contraction is so critical.
- With the discovery of the Asian Longhorn Tick in 2017, health officials are concerned about the case numbers increasing. This particular tick, which can also be found on pets, livestock, and wildlife, can reproduce without mating. Swarms of ticks can attack in numbers of 1,000 or more on one animal or person.
- Not only are these numbers staggering, the U.S. is not fully prepared for the explosive increase in the tick population.
Media Contact for Interviews:
Jeff Howard
Gomez Howard Group
jeff@gomezhowardgroup.com / 303.513.1628
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The LivLyme Foundation envisions a world without Lyme disease and supports the work of researchers and scientists who are dedicated to finding an effective treatment and a cure. LivLyme Foundation also provides education and funding to children and their families who are struggling with Lyme disease. For more information, visit www.livlymefoundation.org.
Lyme disease is most often transmitted by tick bites and has been found in all 50 states and in more than 60 other countries. Public awareness of its symptoms and possible contraction is critical. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its estimates from 30,000 to over 300,000 people that are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the U.S. every year. This is 1.5 times greater than the number of women diagnosed annually with breast cancer, and seven times the number of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each year. Lyme disease affects people of all ages; however, the CDC notes that it is most common in children and older adults. Outdoor enthusiasts, park rangers and firefighters have a higher risk of contracting Lyme and other tick-borne diseases because of their greater exposure to ticks. For more information, visit http://livlymefoundation.org/resources/what-is-lyme-disease/
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