Pike County microbiologist testifies about tick-borne infections

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Robert A. Ollar, Ph.D., of Pike County serves as a member and the consulting microbiologist for the Pike County Tick Borne Diseases Task Force Committee and a member of the Department of Health’s Tick and Lyme Disease Task Force Committee.
Ollar testified recently before the House Health Committee about the serious epidemic relating to tick-borne infections in Pennsylvania.
“Many of our Pennsylvania residents are seriously ill, due to failures of the current status quo in dealing with the correct and timely diagnosis as well as treatment of tick-borne pathogens,” Ollar said. “This is why the Greenleaf Committee created PA Act 83, and also subsequently created a Department of Health Task Force Committee in June 2014, to address the issues associated with tick-borne diseases and to provide recommendations to correct these problems.
"The three major areas of focus of the Department of Health Task Force Committee included: surveillance, prevention, and education," Ollar noted.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Rosemary Brown thanked Ollar for promoting the importance of pathogen identification to prevent and improve patient outcomes.
"I strongly support the movement of the Task Force Committee’s recommendations at the state and local levels to address this significant health crisis in Pennsylvania," Brown said.