The state is now tracking cases of alpha-gal syndrome to better understand the tick-borne illness that is spreading through Martha’s Vineyard.
Gov. Maura Healey announced last Thursday that alpha-gal syndrome would be reportable to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health starting April 1 and lasting a year, with potential for an extension. State and local officials said the effort would help them learn more about how the condition is spread and the common symptoms.
“It’s an emerging public health issue in our state,” Governor Healey said at last week’s event in Falmouth.
“It’s simple, but it’s an important step,” added Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein. “It will allow us to better understand where and how often this condition is occurring.”
Alpha-gal syndrome can be life-threatening and has a wide range of symptoms, including an allergy to red meat. The condition can develop after one bite of the lone star tick, which has migrated from the south, in part due to global warming.
“The symptoms can sometimes be subtle, like hives or a rash, sometimes GI upset, heartburn, a cardiac symptom, fatigue,” Mr. Goldstein said. “They can appear several hours after eating red meat, and in some cases can be severe and life-threatening.”
Though the condition has a presence on the mainland — and is reportable in 17 other states — in recent years the Vineyard has become an alpha-gal hotspot.
In 2025 the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital saw 742 positive tests for alpha-gal out of 1,689 total tests. In 2020, there were only two positive results out of nine tests.
Local health officials and tick experts said the state’s efforts to track alpha-gal cases will help inform community efforts. It also demonstrates a commitment to addressing Vineyard public health concerns, they said.
“This is a major step directly in response to our community,” said Lea Hamner, an epidemiologist for the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative.
Ms. Hamner said the data derived from the reports will help officials determine how many people in the community have alpha-gal syndrome. Since people can get tested for alpha-gal multiple times, current numbers only account for part of the picture.
“This is the big picture pattern data that we all need to make better health decisions for ourselves and our communities,” Ms. Hamner said.
The state data will also help measure alpha-gal syndrome’s presence in the year-round community, Ms. Hamner said, since the data is based on residency. Current numbers include visitors and part-time residents who get tested on-Island.
The state’s alpha-gal data will track common symptoms and trigger foods to help clinicians prescribe better care, she said.
Alpha-gal syndrome has a wide range of symptoms: some people can have a life-threatening allergic reaction from consuming any mammalian product at all, while others who test positive for the alpha gal antibody have no reaction.
Aubrey Stimola Ryan, a physician assistant in the emergency room at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, applauded the initiative.
“[The data] is going to help us be more specific about individualized treatments and management given how varied these symptoms can be for patients.”
Ms. Stimola Ryan said she hopes the announcement will show patients that progress is being made. The data could also help unlock additional funding and expand resources for those living with the condition.
Tick biologists and local health agents have been pushing for this step. A new Island non-profit, Tick Free MV, hosted a workshop this winter where state epidemiologists learned about the prevalence of alpha-gal in the Vineyard community.
Some state officials also heard from residents during an alpha-gal support group meeting, which gathers on the third Thursday every month at 5 p.m. in the Up-Island Council on Aging.
“Nobody needs to be alone in managing these challenges,” said Virginia Barbatti, executive director of Tick Free MV. “It’s a community-wide challenge and there are ways to get support.”
Ms. Barbatti said that alpha-gal effects are reverberating throughout the Island community and the state testing is an important next step.
“It’s clear that state leadership is responding to the major challenges we’re facing in our community and that’s excellent to see,” Ms. Barbatti said. “The key is going to be taking action as a community with the information that we gather.”
This article appears in March 27, 2026.
Hello Neighbors! On the Elizabeth Islands nextdoor to MV we have the same set of tick issues and have spent the past decade developing a protective permeththrin-treated oversock that protects against tickbite. we call them Ticktogs and have a limited number available for sale, produced in Fall River. They are treated at Insect Shield and fully cover the foot and lower leg. They are designed to be super comfortable and breathable and to remedy the limitations of treated socks (small ticks go through the knit) and gaiters (ticks go climb over or under them to find skin). They fully cover the foot with very sheer parachute fabric that fits comfortably in any shoe, and they have a turndown at the top that stops any climbing tick. I am a zoologist and have based the design on the anatomy, physiology and behavior of our native tick species. Goal: Zero tickbites.
How can I buy them?
The coated socks are fine in the spring and fall, but are not comfortable in 80+ degree humid summer weather. The goal needs to be the reduction and eventual elimination of the lone-star tick population on the island through expanded hunting of deer and developing methods of birth control (e.g. baited birth control in habitats.) The island also needs to look at reduction of the extensive wild turkey population, which are also hosts to the tick.
Thank you Paul –
Lets market those special socks on the Vineyard please -for farmers & hikers !
The barrier may be more effective than the permethrin. Last year I was fully clothed in Insect Shield socks, pants, and long sleeve shirt, and found a lone star tick attached at my bra line, am now positive for alpha-gal allergy. They were new clothes bought directly from Insect Shield, not just sent to them for treatment. I undressed immediately after work and found the tick. It crawled through all of that and didn’t die. One bite can transmit alpha gal. Meanwhile, permethrin can affect beneficial insects, so I also don’t advocate spraying yards etc. Controlling mouse, rat, and deer populations plus supporting guinea hens and quail is probably a better alternative for mitigating ticks.
We have been getting increased reports of lone star larvae getting through even permethrin treated socks. These seem to provide the best protection against lone star larvae. I have a pair and wear them in late summer and early fall when the lone star larvae are hatching. I know they had some at the Vineyard Medical Center, which is where I got mine. Don’t know if they have any left but worth a call.
Hi Dick,
Have there been any reports of folks leaving the island because of ticks