KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - You usually think about Lyme disease from a tick bite, but another condition called Alpha Gal Syndrome is now making headlines, thanks to a new state law.

It’s an allergy to red meat, usually caused by a lone star tick bite. Those ticks primarily lives in the Southeast.

It’s been hard to find out exactly how often people get diagnosed, but that’s about to change.

Dr. Corinne Tandy is the Division Director of Epidemiology for Knox County Health Department. She said this has been around for a while, but there’s limited information.

Now, it’s state law for doctors to report this diagnosis.

There’s a different range of symptoms like hives, severe stomach pain and nausea.

“My husband realized there was hives all over my body, and I started passing out,” Michaela

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