According to recently made public information from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, as many as 450,000 individuals in the United States might have contracted a very uncommon and potentially fatal tick-associated allergy disease that occurs when eating red meat. The facts are, without a doubt, startling, and we have to get started spreading awareness right now!
Continue reading down below.
When a tick bites a human and injects a sugar molecule contained in its saliva, it can create a condition called alpha-gal syndrome, which is also commonly referred to as an allergy to red meat. The responses can range from being relatively moderate, such as hives and a rash that itches, to being significantly more severe, including difficulties breathing and a decrease in blood pressure. However, there is no evidence that fish, birds, or reptiles have any alpha-gal. An allergic response can be brought on by eating red meat, such as beef, lamb, or hog since red meat also includes the sugar known as alpha-gal. This sugar produces an allergic reaction in certain people, and it can be brought on even further by eating red meat.
There is currently no treatment or cure available other than avoiding the aforementioned foods and goods. That’s, at least to say, quite disappointing.
According to the findings of several experts, longer summers, higher temperatures, and the expanded habitats of some tick species known as the lone star tick are contributing to an increased risk of human exposure to infectious diseases across a wider geographic region.
After a few hours, symptoms start to show
According to experts and medical professionals, the symptoms of an allergy to red meat often do not manifest until two to six hours after consuming food, which is far later than the onset of symptoms for many other allergic disorders.
So hamburger or marbled steak is the kind of textbook thing, and they finish dinner with no symptoms, go on to bed, and then are woken in the middle of the night with itching and hives and often gastrointestinal stress as well, explained Scott Commins, an allergist, and immunologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Lack of awareness among medical professionals
According to another study from the CDC, healthcare professionals have a poor level of awareness of the illness. In a poll conducted the year before among 1,500 doctors, 42% of respondents indicated they had never heard of the allergy illness. Of the clinicians who were aware of the ailment, less than 33% were able to correctly identify it.
Furthermore, Commins stated that the most recent estimate of 450,000 individuals who have an allergy to red meat is most certainly an undercount. Even if the estimate of 450,000 is correct, “that’s going to place alpha-gal syndrome in the top 10 of food allergies in the United States,” he continued.
The states of New York and Virginia had the largest numbers of potential infections discovered; the CDC said that Suffolk County, New York, was responsible for four percent of the possible infections across the US.
Based on reports from the Centers for Sickness Control and Prevention (CDC), the lone star tick, also known as the adult female with a white dot or “lone star” on her back, is responsible for the transmission of several different diseases. One of these diseases is the Heartland virus sickness, which can result in lethargy and fever, and in more extreme cases, hospitalization and death. Remember, it’s essential to seek medical help if you feel unwell!
