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[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 3171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01149]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Meeting of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group

AGENCY: Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, Department of 
Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces 
the third meeting of the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (Working 
Group) on February 12, 2018, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern 
Time. For this third meeting, the Working Group will focus on mapping 
out the work of the six Subcommittee Meeting Working Groups that were 
established on December 12, 2017. These subcommittees were established 
to assist the Working Group with the development of the report to 
Congress and the HHS Secretary as required by the 21st Century Cures 
Act. The subcommittees are:
    1. Disease Vectors, Surveillance and Prevention (includes 
epidemiology of tick-borne diseases);
    2. Pathogenesis, Transmission, and Treatment;
    3. Testing and Diagnostics (including laboratory-based diagnoses 
and clinical-diagnoses);
    4. Access to Care Services and Support to Patients;
    5. Vaccine and Therapeutics; and
    6. Other Tick-Borne Diseases and Co-infections.

DATES: February 12, 2018, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

ADDRESSES: This will be a virtual meeting that is held via webcast. 
Members of the public may attend the meeting via webcast and 
instructions for attending this virtual meeting will be posted one week 
prior to the meeting at: https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Berger, Office of HIV/AIDS and 
Infectious Disease Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Health, Department of Health and Human Services; via email at 
[email protected] or by phone at 202-795-7697.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: At this meeting, the Working Group will also 
hear about one or more examples of other efforts that have been 
successfully undertaken to define a national or statewide approach to 
preventing, monitoring, diagnosing, and treating people with tick-borne 
diseases. In addition, federal resources, within and outside of HHS, 
that may be of use to the subcommittees as they do their work, such as 
the Department of Health and Human Services Internal Working Group on 
Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases, will be presented.
    The Working Group invites public comment on issues related to the 
Working Group's charge. Comments may be provided over the phone during 
the meeting or in writing. Persons who wish to provide comments by 
phone should review directions at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/meetings/index.html before submitting a 
request via email at [email protected] on or before February 7, 
2018. Phone comments will be limited to three minutes each to 
accommodate as many speakers as possible. A total of 30 minutes will be 
allocated to public comments. If more requests are received than can be 
accommodated, speakers will be randomly selected. The nature of the 
comments will not be considered in making this selection. Public 
comments may also be provided in writing. Individuals who would like to 
provide written comment should review directions at https://www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory-committees/tickbornedisease/meetings/index.html before sending their comments to [email protected] on 
or before February 7, 2018.
    Background and Authority: The Tick-Borne Disease Working Group was 
established on August 10, 2017, in accordance with section 2062 of the 
21st Century Cures Act, and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 
U.S.C. App., as amended, to provide expertise and review all HHS 
efforts related to tick-borne diseases to help ensure interagency 
coordination and minimize overlap, examine research priorities, and 
identify and address unmet needs. In addition, the Working Group will 
report to the Secretary and Congress on their findings and any 
recommendations for the federal response to tick-borne disease 
prevention, treatment and research, and addressing gaps in those areas.

    Dated: January 17, 2018.
James Berger,
Alternate Designated Federal Officer, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious 
Disease Policy, Tick-Borne Disease Working Group.
[FR Doc. 2018-01149 Filed 1-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-28-P
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