A Missouri bill that would mandate the counting and tracking of alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to mammalian products, is headed to the governor's desk.
The bill would require the state to track cases of alpha-gal syndrome — an allergy of varying severity that comes from the bite of lone star ticks. Reactions can occur after contact with everything from red meat to dairy to gelatin.
Representative Matthew Overcast, a Republican from Ava, has been at the forefront of these efforts, and said the influx of data will allow the state to better respond to the growing problem.
"We're only seeing more and more emerging vector-borne diseases, both in cattle and humans, and we need to know, know more about them, and get ahead of it, rather than being reactive," Overcast said.
If signed, positive alpha-gal blood tests would be reported to the Department of Health & Senior Services, which will then aggregate the data. This data will then be reported to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
Overcast said there was no budget allotment to the program this year, but if funded in the future, DHSS would then be able to do some select follow up surveys with patients.
A positive alpha-gal diagnosis comes from a positive blood test and clinical symptoms, but according to research published in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine the test alone correctly identifies positive cases 92.3% of the time.
Sharon Forsyth is the executive director of the Alpha Gal Alliance and the Alpha Gal Alliance Action Fund. She has worked with Overcast on the legislation.
She said, if signed, Missouri would become the 14th state to make alpha-gal reporting mandatory.
She said she hopes this new data could spur more research on the condition.
"With these numbers, hopefully we'll be able to attract private investment for potential therapies for alpha-gal syndrome. We'll be more likely to be able to secure federal funding, not just for doing the surveillance, but critically for provider education," Forsyth said.
If signed by the Governor Mike Kehoe DHSS will have six months from the bill's effective date to begin the reporting process.
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