Be Aware: Ticks That Make You Allergic to Meat Are on the Rise

What is it?

• Alpha-gal syndrome: a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to red meat and other mammal products, caused by the bite of the lone star tick.

Where is it?

• Prevalent in the eastern, southeastern, and south-central US—anywhere the lone star tick is found.

Who is at risk?

• According to the CDC, up to 450,000 people may have alpha-gal syndrome, with only a fraction of cases reported.

"The overwhelmingly vast majority of cases occur within the range of the lone star tick... In our previous report last July, we found there were a small number of people [testing] positive outside this geographic range, but without further investigation of individual cases, it is unclear why." - Dr. Johanna Salzer, veterinarian and disease ecologist at the CDC.

What are the symptoms?

• Hives, itching, scaly skin, swelling of body parts, wheezing, shortness of breath, stomach issues.

When to seek emergency treatment?

• If you experience trouble breathing, an irregular pulse, dizziness, drooling/inability to swallow, or full-body redness/warmth.

How to prevent?

• The Mayo Clinic recommends covering up skin, using bug spray, landscaping to avoid ticks, and checking yourself and your children for ticks.

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Original article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/06/09/alpha-gal-syndrome-symptoms-after-lone-star-tick-bite-causes-allergy-meat/11556249004/

Data sources: CDC https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7230a2.htm and https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/lone-star-tick-surveillance.html#:~:text=The%20lone%20star%20tick%20(Amblyomma,lone%20star%E2%80%9D%20on%20her%20back.)

Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alpha-gal-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20428608