With Lyme disease season breaking out across the United States, Quidel Corporation announced today that it has partnered with the Bay Area Lyme (BAL) Foundation to help heighten public awareness to this alarming health condition that afflicts as many as 400,000 Americans each year. Quidel is the nation’s leading developer of rapid Lyme disease testing.

As part of its collaboration, Quidel will serve as the sponsor for BAL’s series of free speaker forums that focus on research and science in the field of Lyme disease as well as Lyme disease prevention. These events provide new information on various Lyme topics in an open-discussion format, all designed to bring awareness around the Lyme disease epidemic with rapid ways to diagnose and treat it. Each of these events will feature a scientific researcher paired with a Lyme survivor sharing their inspirational story.

The first in the series will be held via zoom on May 19 and will discuss the topic of “Herbal Treatments for Tick-Borne Diseases.” Speakers will include Sunjya Schweig, M.D., who has been studying, teaching and practicing integrative and functional medicine for over 25 years and is a member of the BAL's scientific advisory board. Also participating will be Lia Gaertner, a BAL board member and the organization’s director of education and outreach. More information is available at speakerseries@bayarealyme.org.

Quidel will also be a primary sponsor of BAL’s Emerging Leader Awards, which recognize both established and up-and-coming researchers who bring creative thinking to the field of Lyme disease. These grants support new and innovative projects and aim to attract aspiring new scientific talent to the field of Lyme. In addition, Quidel will sponsor the annual LymeAid Gala, the foundation’s annual benefit dinner and live concert to be held later this year.

“The fact that symptoms of Lyme disease may not appear for weeks makes it all the more important that people take steps to avoid getting a tick bite, be aware of Lyme’s early warning signs, and then get tested immediately if they think they may have contracted it,” said Cheryl Miller, vice president of market development at Quidel. “That’s why we are so honored to be partnering with the Bay Area Lyme Foundation. Together, we work to heighten public awareness of the disease and advance scientific research in testing and treatment for Lyme.”

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that occurs when people are bitten by an infected deer tick. It can strike anyone at any age and can lead to a number of serious, life-threatening problems if not caught early. Leading the way in Lyme disease testing is Quidel’s innovative Sofia® 2 Lyme FIA. This test provides the patient as well as his or her physician with indicative results within 15 minutes, as opposed to days, which has historically been the norm. Performed in the privacy of a doctor’s office or local clinic, it is also the only test that can get results from a simple finger prick of blood.

About Quidel Corporation

Quidel Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) is a leading manufacturer of diagnostic solutions at the point of care, delivering a continuum of rapid testing technologies that further improve the quality of health care throughout the globe. An innovator for over 40 years in the medical device industry, Quidel pioneered the first FDA-cleared point-of-care test for influenza in 1999 and was the first to market a rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test in the U.S. Under trusted brand names, Sofia®, Solana®, Lyra®, Triage® and QuickVue®, Quidel’s comprehensive product portfolio includes tests for a wide range of infectious diseases, cardiac and autoimmune biomarkers, as well as a host of products to detect COVID-19. With products made in America, Quidel’s mission is to provide patients with immediate and frequent access to highly accurate, affordable testing for the good of our families, our communities and the world. For more information about Quidel, visit quidel.com.

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