Missouri has a new law. It makes the state track cases of a strange food allergy. The allergy comes from a tick bite. Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the law on July 13, 2026.

Missouri says it has more of these cases than any other state. The tick behind it, the Lone Star tick, also lives in Texas. That includes brush country in South Texas.

The new rule is part of a bigger bill, House Bill 2372. State Rep. Tara Peters and state Sen. Mike Bernskoetter wrote it. It tells state health workers to start counting alpha-gal cases. The same bill also tracks Lyme disease, another illness spread by ticks. It covers other health care topics too, like telehealth visits and ambulance service.

Alpha-gal syndrome is not like most food allergies. A Lone Star tick bites a person. That bite can turn on an allergy to red meat. It can turn on an allergy to milk and cheese too. Doctors call this alpha-gal syndrome.

Doctors say they still do not know enough about it. Dr. Ben Casterline treats patients at MU Healthcare. He said, "So much of Alpha Gal Syndrome is still unknown." He said doctors need good data "so we can serve our patients." The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the illness is not fully tracked nationwide yet. The agency says as many as 450,000 Americans could have it, though no one knows the real number for sure.

The law will not start right away. It kicks in at the end of August 2026. After that, state health workers have six months to build a way to track cases.

Farmers and ranchers pushed for the law too. Jeff Reed once led the Missouri Cattlemen's Association. He said cases are going up in small Missouri towns. He said good data could help find "cures or a vaccine" one day.

The Lone Star tick used to stay mostly in the Southeast. It has spread west into Texas over time. Federal health officials say most cases in the U.S. show up in southern, eastern, and central states. Texas fits that region. Doctors in Texas have already treated patients with the allergy. Some cases came from ticks in yards, not just deep woods.

South Texas has lots of brush where these ticks can hide. More than a dozen other states already track alpha-gal cases by law, groups that follow the issue say. Texas is not one of them yet. That means no one knows for sure how many South Texas families deal with it.

Missouri's tracking system is not built yet. State health workers have until early 2027 to get it running. Once it starts, Missouri plans to share the data with federal health officials. That could help doctors learn where the tick and the allergy are spreading.

For now, the lesson for South Texas is simple. Check for ticks after time outside. See a doctor fast if red meat or dairy makes someone sick out of nowhere.