00:00A tick-borne illness known as alpha-gal syndrome or AGS causes a red meat allergy and it can be
00:05life-threatening. Now, according to a recent statement by the CDC, it's running rampant in
00:10the U.S. and as many as 450,000 people might already be afflicted by it. In the announcement,
00:17they indicated that at least 110,000 cases were confirmed between 2010 and 2022. However,
00:23those are only the ones we know of as AGS requires a specific test and will likely go
00:28undiagnosed without one, meaning many, many more Americans likely already have the illness and
00:33don't even know it. And if those estimates are correct, Dr. Scott Commons, who was part of the
00:37CDC's AGS study, told the Associated Press it could now be the 10th most common food allergy in the U
00:43.S.
00:44And that's troubling news, especially considering USA Today reports some 78 percent of health care
00:49workers who were surveyed say they had either little or no knowledge of AGS at all. Alpha-gal syndrome
00:54is named after the alpha-gal sugar, which is commonly found in red meat and milk products.
00:59The tick-borne allergy can last a lifetime with symptoms including hives and rashes, nausea,
01:05vomiting, indigestion, diarrhea and stomach pain, coughing, trouble breathing, a drop in blood
01:10pressure, swelling of the mouth, eyes and throat, dizziness and loss of consciousness.
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