Spike in tick-related interactions and diseases

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Tick-related interactions are on the rise, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting record-breaking tick-related ER visits for the first time since 2017 this July. Many in the Ozarks are navigating tick-borne diseases as well. Natalie Moore got diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome in May, a potentially life-threatening allergy and [...]

Jul 17, 2025 - 05:00
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Spike in tick-related interactions and diseases

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Tick-related interactions are on the rise, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting record-breaking tick-related ER visits for the first time since 2017 this July. Many in the Ozarks are navigating tick-borne diseases as well.

Natalie Moore got diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome in May, a potentially life-threatening allergy and tick-borne disease produced in most mammals but not in humans. Tick saliva contains Alpha Gal and transfers to humans through tick bites.

"I had rashes all over my arms and my legs. They said it was contact dermatitis. They said strep at one point because of the way the rash felt," said Moore. "I went to the ER multiple times, steroids after steroids, and it's like nothing helped. Finally, this summer, I was just like, I need to figure this out before I ripped my skin off. It's so bad."

While Moore was diagnosed a few months ago, she's had symptoms for three years.

Emma Schrag got diagnosed in March with symptoms starting nine months ago. She said she believes it goes undiagnosed due to the delayed reaction and sourcing the cause.

"It's very overwhelming and honestly kind of depressing in the beginning because you don't realize how much of your diet includes mammal," said Schrag. "It has a delayed reaction, and a lot of people don't see the results of something they ate until 24 hours later. Sometimes it's even up to two or three days. It's really hard to track down where you think you're getting it from."

Moore said while eating out with an allergy is always a risk, she's been able to find places that prioritize her allergy such as PaPPo's Pizza, OMO Japanese Soul Food, Simply Thai and 14 Mill Market.

"We've had so many guests coming in asking specifically, 'hey, do you have any alpha gal options? It has become a need for us,'" said Tanja Lambert, the manager at 14 Mill Market. "Most of all of our restaurants have some sort of Alpha Gal option. We have Fresh Poke. Every single item on their menu is Alpha Gal friendly. Our Uptown Hog, all their chicken is cooked specifically on a chicken-only smoker, making it Alpha Gal friendly."

Lambert told Ozarks First communication between staff and guests is crucial for any allergy. 

"With any type of allergy, we're always passing that information on to our vendors," said Lambert. "If there is something that guests are looking for, we have those options available."

Schrag said the allergy is not just to food though. Products of all sorts that contain mammal products and traces can trigger a response for some people with Alpha Gal Syndrome. 

"I have switched out all my medications, all my makeup, laundry detergent," said Schrag. "I had gone through and switched out all my soap and all my beauty products, and I still couldn't figure out what was causing me to be stuffy in the mornings. Then I realized it's because I use a wool dryer ball for my sheets. I'm pregnant right now, so just finding prenatal supplements that are clean and don't have mammal in it is extremely difficult."

"Most people just think red meat. But it's more than just red meat," said Moore. "A lot of people around here specifically know what it is, but I went to Chicago a few months ago and they had no idea. That's the biggest struggle I've noticed here, too even. People have heard of it, but they don't know exactly what we can eat."

Moore said while the diagnosis is isolating, she's found support on Facebook groups.

"When you find someone who has it, it's a community because they're like, 'oh, I know exactly what you're going through. Here are my favorite things,'" said Moore.

"I love the Facebook groups. I think there's amazing support in them, but I also think you also have to apply it to your own life," said Schrag. "Some people react to things that other people don't. There is not a lot of official information on Alpha Gal, so you get a wide variety of opinions and advice."

Even after finding community with others, Schrag said navigating this allergy consists of a lot of trial and error. 

"It's not recognized as a common allergen by the FDA," said Schrag. "It is not really clearly labeled on food products. So unfortunately, there can be a lot of confusion surrounding it."

To combat the confusion that comes with tick-borne allergies, the Alpha-Gal Inclusion Act was introduced back in February. If passed, Alpha Gal would be added to the list of major food allergens and would be labeled on food packaging. 

"That would make a huge difference for everybody with this," said Schrag. "It would take a lot of the guesswork out. It would take a lot of the accidental reactions if we were able to see clearly on food products that it contains these things."

For now, Moore said navigating the allergy gets easier as time goes on and it gets better.

"Make it fun. That's my biggest advice. Take this time to get into the new hobby of cooking, to find the ingredients you like," said Moore. "There's so many things to experiment with. Apparently, emu steaks are supposed to taste super similar to regular beef steaks. Alligator is also really good. Get creative, try the meals that you might not have gotten to before."

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