Thursday marked the official launch of Tick Free MV, an organization of concerned year-round and seasonal residents looking to improve public health on the Vineyard by reducing its tick population through various initiatives.

Alpha-gal syndrome cases on Martha’s Vineyard continued to rise in 2025, with the number of positive tests for the red meat allergy in the first 11 months of the year nearly totaling the last five years combined. 

Researchers say that a New Jersey man’s death on the mainland last year is the first confirmed fatality caused by a tick-borne syndrome that has had a rapid rise on Martha’s Vineyard. 

Island doctors, researchers and biologists are redoubling tick education efforts amid the growing concerns about the disease-carrying arachnids.

The abrupt cancellation of grants by the Trump administration late last month has two public health officials who track diseases on the Island working in limbo. 

As alpha-gal syndrome rapidly spreads across the Vineyard, Island public health officials are hoping to gauge the public’s concern over the meat allergy and gather important information that could aid in future research.