State officials in Massachusetts are raising awareness about Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS), a potentially serious and sometimes life-threatening allergic condition triggered by certain tick bites. This marks it as a growing public health issue in the Bay State, particularly amid heightened tick activity in 2026.
What Is Alpha-Gal Syndrome?
AGS is an allergy to the sugar molecule alpha-gal (galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose), found in most mammalian meats and products derived from mammals. It typically develops after a bite from the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), though other ticks like blacklegged ticks have been linked in rarer cases…