Community Corner

Meat Allergy Tick's Arrival is No Joke This Time

Lone Star Tick is "a huge problem out here," giving its victims a red meat allergy, according to Wall Street Journal article.

This time, the ticks are no joke.

A couple months after the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement on April Fool's Day noting they would release a slew of meat allergy-inducing ticks across the Northeast – in an effort to get people to go vegetarian – one local man recounted his scary allergy story with the Wall Street Journal, which noted that the emergence of the Lone Star tick is becoming a "huge problem" locally.

The article quotes South Fork allergist Erin McGintee, who stated that she's seen at least 70 cases from her East Hampton office.

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Southampton landscape designer Tony Piazza stopped eating red meat and saw his incidents go away after finding himself in the Southampton Hospital E.R. more than once.

"I was afraid that the next time, I wouldn't wake up," he says.

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While PETA sent out its statement on April 1 in jest, some people didn't find it too funny.

“This was the worst year for ticks in 20 years,” said Linda Weir of Peconic, who said she’s been living with Lyme disease since 1979 and went undiagnosed until 2004.

Click here to read the article on the Wall Street Journal.

How have the ticks been in your neck of the woods - literally - this year? 


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