NYTIMES (Benjamin Wallace) - Can We Do Anything About Tick-Borne Diseases Like Alpha-Gal Syndrome?
A scientific and civilizational horror story.
AMERICANALMANAC (Ken Jacobs) - New York confirms first case of Bourbon virus, a tick-borne illness with no cure
A Long Island father of three spent five days in the hospital and waited five years for a diagnosis after contracting a rare tick-borne virus that has no treatment, no commercial test, and has already killed two Americans. Michael Larkin, 67, of Suffolk County, New York, became the state's first confirmed case of Bourbon virus […] The post New York confirms first case of Bourbon virus, a tick-borne illness with no cure appeared first on American Almanac .
A Long Island father of three spent five days in the hospital and waited five years for a diagnosis after contracting a rare tick-borne virus that has no treatment, no commercial test, and has already killed two Americans. Michael Larkin, 67, of Suffolk County, New York, became the state's first confirmed case of Bourbon virus after researchers at Stony Brook University identified the infection in April 2026, roughly five years after two lone star ticks bit him while he worked in his own yard. The diagnosis came only after a year-long antibody trial, and it raises a question public health officials should have been asking sooner: how many other cases across the Northeast are going undetected? Bourbon virus was first identified in 2014 in…Open
DAILYCALLER (Evelyn Elliott) - YouTuber Launches Weeks-Long Quest To Kill Bug Some Suspect Is Genetically Engineered Bioweapon
After day five, it was still moving
After YouTuber Rusty Cage found a lone star tick on his body, he went viral for documenting his repeated attempts to kill the bug over 16 days. Online groups and even some academics have speculated that Bill Gates genetically altered the lone star tick to carry a red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome as a bioweapon. At least 15,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cage’s attempt to kill the tick showed that it is not only potentially harmful but also extremely resilient. (RELATED: Could A Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Be A Bioweapon? We Tried Finding Out) Cage began by submerging the tick in water to see how long it would survive. - . By the end of…Open
NPR (Terry Gross) - Lone star ticks are covering much of the U.S. Here's what you need to know
It's a tick that hunts you down and transmits a potentially dangerous allergy to red meat. The New Yorker writer Burkhard Bilger discusses the lone star tick and the risks of alpha-gal syndrome.
YOUTUBE (NewsNation) - The secret history of Lyme disease the US government doesn't want you to know | Unreported
Nearly half a million Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year, and ER tick bite visits are hitting the highest levels since 2017. So why does it feel like nobody is sounding the alarm? And why is Congress now ordering a federal watchdog to dig through decades of classified Cold War military records searching for answers? In this episode of "Unreported," Meagan Medick sits down with author Kris Newby, who wrote "Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons" and is a senior producer on the Oscar semi-finalist documentary "Under Our Skin." Together, they examine documented evidence that the U.S. government experimented on ticks as potential Cold War bioweapons, the whistleblower testimony of the scientist who…
DAILYCALLER (Emily Kopp) - Could A Tick-Borne Meat Allergy Be A Bioweapon? We Tried Finding Out
Man-made?
THENATIONALPULSE (Pulse Wires) - Tick Bites Linked to Rising ‘Red Meat Allergy’ Syndrome Cases.
Emergency room visits due to tick bites have significantly increased in the Midwest, with health experts warning about the risks of alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy caused by Lone Star tick bites.
Emergency room visits due to tick bites have significantly increased in the Midwest, with health experts warning about the risks of alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy caused by Lone Star tick bites. PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Emergency room visits caused by tick bites spiked from 39 to 137 per 100,000 ER visits between March and April in ten Midwest states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ). Health experts link the increase to more outdoor activity as warmer weather arrives. DETAIL: Health experts say the increase coincides with more people spending time outdoors during warmer months, leading to greater exposure to ticks. Missouri dermatologist and immunologist Benjamin Casterline said the…Open
YOUTUBE (Newsmax) - Doctor weighs in on spread of mysterious tick-linked illness
On Thursday’s “Finnerty,” Missouri cattle farmer Ashley McCarty described her experience living with alpha-gal syndrome, and Dr. Scott Commins discussed the rise in cases of the red meat allergy caused by Lone Star tick bites.
YOUTUBE (Newsmax) - ‘We need serious investigations’: Epidemiologist on lone star ticks causing alpha-gal syndrome
Dr. Nicolas Hulscher, epidemiologist, discussed how lone star ticks cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat, and suggested “serious investigations” be conducted.
YOUTUBE (The Hill) - Tick causing severe meat and dairy allergy in humans rapidly spreads across U.S. | 12:30 REPORT
A tick capable of making its victims allergic to meat and dairy – among other items – and spreading a virus that has no known cure may be reaching new areas, officials warn. The lone star tick had primarily been found in the South, but, in recent years, the species has been pushing northward. The latest data from the CDC shows the tick has been confirmed in more than 30 states, an increase from just a few years ago. #lonestar #tick #cdc