LymeTV Launches National Media Campaign for PANS and PANDAS Awareness Day

In recognition of National PANS and PANDAS Awareness Day on October 9, LymeTV has launched a nationwide television, radio, and social media campaign to raise awareness of two serious and often underrecognized neuropsychiatric conditions affecting children.

Running during the first two weeks of October, the campaign combines radio and television public service announcements (PSAs) with a coordinated social media effort aimed at reaching parents, educators, healthcare providers, policymakers, and the broader public. Its message: some children experience an abrupt and dramatic onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with infection or immune activation.

What Are PANS and PANDAS?
Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) is characterized by the abrupt onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms or severely restricted food intake, accompanied by other acute neuropsychiatric symptoms. Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) describes a subset of cases associated with group A streptococcal infection.

Researchers are investigating the roles that infections such as Lyme disease, along with immune dysfunction and other biological mechanisms, may play in these conditions. Symptoms can include severe anxiety, tics, behavioral regression, and other dramatic changes that can appear literally overnight. Despite their impact on children and families, PANS and PANDAS remain widely underrecognized and underfunded.

Free PSAs Available to Radio and TV Stations
The campaign’s radio and television PSAs are being made available to broadcasters nationwide through the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) PSA Spot Center, where local stations can download them at no cost. Advocates, parents, and supporters are encouraged to contact their local radio and television stations and ask them to air the PSAs in the days leading up to and following National PANS and PANDAS Awareness Day on October 9.

Television PSA: The Overnight Change: Recognizing PANS/PANDAS in Your Child
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwIpoVcbhg8 “PANS and PANDAS Awareness Day is a chance to remind the country that these children are still waiting,” said Adina Bercowicz of LymeTV. “Families need clinicians who recognize these conditions, researchers who can answer the questions that remain unresolved, and sustained investment in the science needed to improve diagnosis and treatment.”

Building on Previous LymeTV Campaigns
The national campaign builds on LymeTV’s use of targeted media to raise awareness of tick-borne and infection-associated illness. In May, LymeTV and its partners ran a Washington, D.C., television campaign on PANS and PANDAS during National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. LymeTV also conducted a September 2025 campaign supporting reauthorization of the Kay Hagan Tick Act.

“Local stations are more likely to air PSAs when they hear from people in their communities,” said Bruce Fries, a patient advocate and co-organizer of the LymeTV initiative. “A quick call or email from a parent or advocate can put this message in front of thousands of families who may never have heard of PANS or PANDAS.”

Social Media Is a Central Part of the Campaign
Supporters nationwide can participate by viewing, liking, commenting on, and sharing the PSA and related campaign content. This online engagement extends the campaign beyond broadcast audiences, raises awareness among families and healthcare professionals, and encourages people to contact their local stations about airing the PSA.

A campaign landing page with key research, resources, and information is available at www.LymeTV.org/ianc-project

Doctors, Parents, and Patient Advocates Available for Interviews
Doctors familiar with PANS/PANDAS, parents of affected children, and patient advocates are available for television, radio, print, podcast, and online interviews.

About LymeTV
LymeTV is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by public health strategist Adina Bercowicz, MPH, a late-stage Lyme disease survivor. Its mission is to reduce tick-borne disease through prevention, education, and outreach. Programs include the Tick JEDI™ school curriculum, a PSA commercial series, the Tick Talk interview series, and community health outreach. LymeTV also advocates on Capitol Hill for increased federal funding of tick-borne disease research.

Contact Information

Bruce Fries

President

Paitent Centered Care Advocacy Group

(1) 2026171592

PCCAGroup@gmail.com