CDC warns about red meat allergy caused by some tick bites

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/02/ [login to see] /ticks-ick-the-latest-science-on-the-red-meat-allergy-caused-by-some-tick-bites
Red meat fans beware.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) — a tick-borne illness that causes a red meat allergy — is an emerging public health concern.

There have been more than 90,000 suspected cases documented between 2017 and 2022, yet nearly half of clinicians have never heard of the condition, according to a pair of CDC reports released on Thursday.

Because many providers aren't aware of AGS, which also requires a diagnostic test, the agency estimates that as many as 450,000 people may have been affected since 2010.

Scientists first connected the dots between red meat allergies and tick bites more than a decade ago, when they identified patients who got allergic reactions such as hives or anaphylaxis after eating beef or pork. Most had been bitten by Lone Star ticks.