Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premium member or sharing our work.
By John Gregory
What’s happening: Promoters of false health claims and conspiracy theories are exploiting the real rise in alpha-gal syndrome, a deadly tick-borne red meat and dairy allergy, to push bogus cures and to blame the disease on one of their favorite scapegoats: Bill Gates. At the same time, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been overstating the disease’s spread in his former home state of Massachusetts.
Context: Alpha-gal syndrome is a potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat and dairy that is spread to humans by ticks. Once rare, the condition may now affect 450,000 Americans, according to an estimate from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A 2025 Virginia Commonwealth University article said that the increase in alpha-gal syndrome is being driven both by better awareness among doctors and an expanding reach of the ticks spreading the disease, “aided by warmer winters and rising deer populations.”
A closer look: As we often see in disease outbreaks — from COVID-19 to mpox — conspiracy theorists are linking a Bill Gates-funded project to the increased spread of alpha-gal syndrome. The billionaire Microsoft co-founder is often targeted in these conspiracies due to his financial support of health...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...