OKLAHOMA CITY – Experts say that although they are small, a single tick bite can be disastrous for your health.
This year, 83 cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever have been reported across central Oklahoma because of tick bites, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Patients have reported symptoms like fever, headache, body chills and rash.
In some severe cases, the illness has forced the patient to be hospitalized.
Now, experts are warning Oklahomans about a common pest that is found in the Sooner State.
The Lone Star Tick, one of the carriers for the disease, is presenting a completely new danger.
Doctors say a bite from one of these ticks could keep you from taking a bite out of one of your favorite cuts of beef.
The Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic says these ticks can introduce Alpha-Gal into your body, a foreign carbohydrate that triggers an allergic reaction to red meat.
It’s the same type of reaction found in people who are allergic to peanuts or bee stings.
However, they stress the allergic reaction is rare and not everyone will have that type of reaction