By Meg Muckenhoupt

Missouri State Representative Matthew Overcast, Esq. has introduced a bill to add alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) and Lyme disease to that state’s list of mandatory reportable conditions.

AGS is an allergy to red meat and meat-related products that is triggered by a tick bite.

HB 986 also requires the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to submit annual reports on the incidence of AGS and Lyme disease to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overcast says that alpha-gal syndrome profoundly impacts many individuals and families in his district. However, he needs hard data to persuade his fellow legislators to help solve this problem.

Many states at the epicenter of the AGS explosion don’t even mention AGS in their information about tick-borne diseases. If they do mention AGS, they don’t give a figure for the number of cases. Thanks to research by the US military, though, we can estimate the number of AGS cases in several states. That number is frighteningly large.

By testing the blood of 3,000 recruits for the allergic antibody to alpha-gal, researchers were able to identify AGS hot spots. In the most impacted states–like Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas–more than 20% of recruits tested positive. In some areas of these states, almost half the recruits had the antibody.

In Missouri, almost 30% of recruits had the alpha-gal allergic antibody. Extrapolating from this data, an estimated 80,000 Missourians may have AGS.

Documenting the extent of AGS and Lyme disease and tracking their expansion is the first step in attracting the public health resources needed for provider education and other help for people with AGS and Lyme.

If you are a Missourian affected by AGS and/or Lyme disease, please contact your state representative now to help pass HB 986.

Meg Muckenhoupt works with Alpha-gal Information, an Alpha-gal Alliance project.