Table 1.
NIH support for LD research is currently low compared to other infectious diseases.
| Disease | NIH Funding FY 2018 (in millions)a | USA reported cases in 2018 | Funding per reported case in 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIV/AIDS | $2,995 | 36,400b | $82,280 |
| Malaria | $202 | ~2,000c | ~$101,000 |
| West Nile Virus | $36 | 2,647d | $13,600 |
| Lyme Disease | $30 | ~33,666e (~476,000 estimated cases)g | ~$891 ($63 per estimated case) |
| Tuberculosis | $403 | 9,029f | $44,634 |
For purposes of consistency and comparison across diseases, the table uses funding per case based on the number of reported cases. A difference sometimes exists between the reported number of cases per year and estimates of the actual incidence in some infectious diseases. For LD, the difference is more than 10-fold. For example, the number of reported cases in the USA in 2018 is ~34 k while the estimated number of annual cases is ~476 k (g). Therefore, the research investment by the NIH for LD is around $63 per new estimated case in 2018. This table is adapted and updated from a version in the Tick-borne Diseases Working Group (TBDWG) report to Congress (6).