December 20, 2025
To: Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of the Secretary
Re: Request for Federal Reassessment and Research Regarding Morgellons Disease
The undersigned patients, caregivers, clinicians, and concerned members of the public respectfully request that the Department of Health and Human Services formally reassess its position on Morgellons disease and support further scientific investigation.
Individuals affected by Morgellons disease have endured years of persistent physical symptoms, institutional dismissal, and significant personal harm resulting from the absence of federal reassessment, sustained research, and balanced public health guidance.
HHS’s recent acknowledgment that existing Lyme disease diagnostic and treatment paradigms fail to account for all patient outcomes demonstrates a willingness to revisit long-standing assumptions when evidence and patient experience warrant it. This commitment to reassessment and scientific rigor represents meaningful progress. Morgellons disease warrants the same level of scrutiny, curiosity, and reevaluation.
For more than a decade, Morgellons disease has been framed predominantly through a psychiatric lens, often without adequate investigation into potential infectious, immunologic, neurologic, or dermatologic mechanisms. Public health messaging and media coverage have reinforced this framing, contributing to denial of care, compromised medical records, and long-term barriers to appropriate evaluation and treatment. Many patients report refusal of physical examination, inaccurate characterization in clinical documentation, and discouragement from seeking further care.
Morgellons disease remains an unresolved scientific question. Peer-reviewed research has documented associations with infectious agents, including Borrelia species. Clinicians such as Ginger Savely, DNP—who has treated hundreds of Morgellons patients over two decades—have reported consistent clinical patterns that are not adequately explained by delusional disorder models alone. In addition, academic institutions, including Oklahoma State University, are actively conducting research on Morgellons disease, underscoring that this condition remains under legitimate scientific inquiry.
The parallels between the historical handling of Lyme disease and the current treatment of Morgellons disease are difficult to ignore. Both involve diagnostic limitations, persistent symptoms, patient marginalization, and deep division within the medical community. The recent reassessment of Lyme disease demonstrates that established narratives can—and should—be revisited when patient outcomes and emerging evidence demand it.
This request does not seek premature conclusions or endorsement of any single hypothesis. Rather, it calls for fair inquiry, updated evaluation, and patient protection while scientific understanding continues to develop.
Specifically, the undersigned respectfully request that HHS:
Initiate or fund independent, multidisciplinary research into Morgellons disease
Reassess prior public health communications characterizing Morgellons disease as primarily psychiatric, acknowledging the limits of existing evidence
Convene a federal roundtable or advisory forum including researchers, clinicians, and patients
Issue guidance emphasizing clinical neutrality, patient dignity, and access to care while research is ongoing
Patients deserve investigation rather than dismissal. The consequences of inaction and mischaracterization have already been substantial.
The current momentum surrounding Lyme disease reassessment presents an opportunity to address another population affected by diagnostic uncertainty and premature conclusions. We urge HHS to engage with Morgellons disease openly and responsibly, consistent with its commitment to evidence-based medicine and ethical public health practice.
A written response acknowledging this letter and indicating whether HHS intends to revisit its position on Morgellons disease in light of current research and documented patient impact is respectfully requested.
Sincerely,
The undersigned