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Barnstable County health staff warn residents about lone star ticks, alpha‑gal allergy
Summary
County entomologists and epidemiologists told commissioners that lone star ticks have expanded across the Cape, can trigger alpha‑gal (a mammalian‑product allergy) after bites, and that the county will prioritize provider education, community outreach and expanded sampling in 2026.
Esher Cattle, an entomologist with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, and Leah Hamner, contract epidemiologist with the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, briefed commissioners Dec. 17 on the rise of lone star ticks and the human health condition known as alpha‑gal syndrome.
Cattle said lone star ticks — already confirmed in Barnstable County in 2012 and now found “all along Cape all the way out to P‑town” — are a more generalist feeder than native ticks and…
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