Health Care

More states move to track alpha-gal as tick populations surge

Supporters said they will increase understanding of the syndrome, which is spreading across the South and Northeast.
The Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Missouri and Oklahoma are joining more than a dozen states tracking a tick-borne condition associated with a severe red meat allergy, as tick populations surge across the United States. 

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill this month directing state health officials to report laboratory-confirmed alpha-gal cases starting on Nov. 1. Under a health care omnibus bill awaiting Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s signature, Missouri health officials would be required to report instances of alpha-gal syndrome to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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