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Quick takes: Tick-borne allergy alert, deadly Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria
News brief
9 minutes ago.
Stephanie Soucheray, MA
Topics
Tick-borne Disease
Lassa
Quick takes: Tick-borne allergy alert, deadly Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria
News brief
9 minutes ago.
Stephanie Soucheray, MA
Topics
Tick-borne Disease
Lassa
- Massachusetts health officials are warning residents of increased activity of the Lone Star tick and subsequent increased cases of alpha-gal syndrome, a sometimes severe allergy to dairy and meat that can be fatal. The tick's saliva can trigger the allergy, which is now a reportable condition in Massachusetts. In 2024, at least 500 cases were reported on Martha’s Vineyard, and health officials say more and more clinicians are reporting patients with the allergy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 450,000 Americans are affected by the condition.
- The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) is warning about the rising fatality rate of Lassa fever, despite a decrease in new infections. So far in 2026, the death toll is 167, pushing the case-fatality rate to 25.2%, compared to 18.5% reported during the same period in 2025. In the last week of March, NCDC said confirmed cases dropped significantly to 26 from 51 recorded in the previous week. Twenty-two states have reported at least one confirmed case across 93 local government areas this year. Lassa fever, an acute viral hemorrhagic illness, is transmitted to humans primarily through contact with the urine or feces of infected rats.