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MAHA's Latest Conspiracy? Blaming Bill Gates for Spike in Tick Bites
The number of tick-related visits to emergency rooms has hit the highest level in the U.S. in nearly a decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that tick bite ER visits have reached their highest rate since 2017, with most incidents occurring in backyards.
The next conspiracy theory promoted by the MAHA movement targets Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, alleging he is responsible for this year's record tick season. However, this claim has already been disproven three years ago.
Social media users are accusing the billionaire philanthropist of breeding and releasing ticks carrying alpha-gal syndrome, which causes life-threatening allergic reactions to red meat. The MAHA Moms Coalition has even asked farmers to come forward to confirm whether boxes of ticks were being left on their land.
The theory suggests that Gates aims to drive consumers toward plant-based meat products he has invested in, though no evidence has been provided to support these allegations. Alpha-gal syndrome is linked to Lone Star ticks, which are distinct from those involved in a British research program partially funded by Gates to genetically modify cattle ticks, according to a 2023 fact-check by The Associated Press.
Despite being false, the conspiracy theory has garnered significant online support. One Instagram video blaming Gates received over 122,000 likes this past week.
However, this is not the only tick-related conspiracy circulating since 2023. Some users are also blaming Pfizer, the COVID-19 vaccine maker, for allegedly planting ticks to increase demand for their upcoming Lyme disease vaccine. User @colinfrank wrote, "Did y'all know Pfizer started working on a tick vaccine in 2021 and is set to release in 2027. What f-----n timing huh."
Pfizer actually announced plans for the vaccine in 2020 and reported it was over 70% effective in preventing Lyme disease last March, with submissions to regulatory authorities planned. The Public Health Communications Collaborative, formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, states there is "no evidence to support these claims." It also notes that other posts falsely claimed the vaccine is mRNA-based, repeating myths about mRNA vaccine safety.
Vaccine hesitancy has been cited by doctors as a major factor in the resurgence of once-eliminated measles and record flu seasons. Neither the Gates Foundation nor Pfizer immediately responded to The Independent's request for comment.
These are not the first tick conspiracies to spread widely. A previously circulated theory alleged that Lyme disease originated from a Cold War-era U.S. bioweapons program at New York's Plum Island Animal Disease Center. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he "probably" promoted this theory, which has been fact-checked by the American Lyme Disease Foundation.
Joellen Lampman, tick and school IPM coordinator at Cornell University's Integrated Pest Management Program, told The Independent she has been hearing about Plum Island since she began educating people on tick protection. "I have stopped trying to dispute it and begun asking questions. 'What if it is true?' 'How does that change your desire/need to protect yourself from a tick bite?' Because I believe if we blame issues on nefarious 'others,' then we remove our confidence that we can protect ourselves," she said. "After that exchange, we can more easily discuss what steps to take."
As for the real explanation for the spike in tick-related ER visits, human actions play a significant role. Lampman explained that "warmer, shorter winters combine with changes in how we manage our landscapes, reduced wildlife diversity, invasive species (both plants that enhance tick habitat and different tick species) and how we interact with our environments to increase the risk of tick-borne diseases."
