Share to ClassroomTick Bites Rise, Meat Allergy Spreads
Emergency room visits for tick bites in the United States are the highest in almost ten years. The rise has brought a strange illness with it: alpha-gal syndrome. One bite from a lone star tick can make a person very allergic to red meat, such as beef and pork. Seafood and chicken are still safe. On Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the allergy has become an epidemic. One woman ate a hamburger and woke up five hours later with a rash and swollen hands.
Alpha-gal is a sugar carried by the lone star tick. This tick is spreading quickly in the northeastern United States. Sam Telford, a professor at Tufts University, said the illness is not new. What has changed is that more people know about it. Scientists say the tick boom is linked to deer. One deer can feed 1,500 ticks in a season, and each female tick lays 2,000 eggs.
Reactions can be dangerous. Some patients also react to milk products or the smell of meat. One local restaurant now has a menu with no red meat. Doctors say people should treat clothes with permethrin, a chemical that kills ticks, and check their whole body twice a day. Ticks like warm, hidden places on the body. After going outside, put your clothes in a hot dryer and take a shower.
