The tragic passing of a teenager has marked Australia’s first recorded fatality linked to a tick-induced red meat allergy, casting a spotlight on a condition that remains relatively obscure to many.
Jeremy Webb, a vibrant and athletic 16-year-old, found himself in a harrowing situation during a camping trip with friends on the Central Coast of New South Wales on June 10, 2022. After enjoying beef sausages cooked over a campfire, Jeremy’s night took a devastating turn.
Later that evening, around 11 p.m., Jeremy began to experience severe breathing difficulties. In a desperate attempt to seek help, he collapsed while trying to reach an adult in a nearby caravan. Despite the valiant efforts of his companions to revive him, Jeremy was pronounced dead just ninety minutes later at Gosford Hospital.
Initially, it was thought that Jeremy’s untimely death was a result of an asthma attack. However, further investigations revealed a posthumous diagnosis of a red meat allergy, changing the understanding of his sudden demise.
NSW Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes concluded on Thursday that an allergic reaction to red meat triggered the fatal asthma attack, as reported by ABC News. This revelation has heightened awareness and concern about this rare and potentially lethal allergy, urging the public to take note of the dangers associated with tick bites.
NSW Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes ruled on Thursday that the allergic reaction sparked the deadly asthma attack, ABC News reported.
‘Without the anaphylaxis, the asthma would not have caused his death,’ Magistrate Forbes told the court.
Jeremy’s mother Dr Myfanwy Webb has previously said her son was repeatedly bitten by ticks from the age of two during camping trips.
The death of New South Wales teenager Jeremy Webb (pictured) has been confirmed as Australia’s first fatal case of a tick-induced red meat allergy
She said she believes this led to his adverse reactions to red meat.
Tick bites can trigger a mammalian meat allergy, which can manifest as stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting, hives or swelling, or escalate to anaphylaxis.
During the inquest into Jeremy’s death, allergy expert Associate Professor Sheryl van Nunen told the court it can take up to five hours for symptoms to develop after eating red meat.
‘But when it starts, it evolves rapidly. So people go from zero to 100,’ she said.
She believed Jeremy had a mammalian meat allergy since childhood, based on his rapid onset asthma, his history of tick bites, and a history of allergic symptoms after eating red meat.
Associate Professor van Nunen previously told the inquest there had been a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in mammalian meat allergy diagnoses in Australia since 2020.
The highest rates are in NSW and Queensland, with the Sydney basin – notably the Northern Beaches – becoming a global hotspot.
Deaths from mammalian meat allergy are extremely rare, with the few recorded deaths caused by medicines containing the meat allergen referred to as alpha-gal.
Jeremy’s mother Dr Myfanwy Webb (pictured) has previously said her son was repeatedly bitten by ticks from the age of two which she believes led to his adverse reactions to red meat
Tick bites can trigger a mammalian meat allergy, which can manifest as stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting, hives or swelling, or escalate to anaphylaxis (stock image)
Experts agreed Jeremy died from a combination of severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis and acute asthma attack.
The inquest has examined the adequacy of Jeremy’s medical treatment before his death, the role of anaphylaxis in his death, and whether it could have been prevented by earlier detection.
In November last year, researchers from the University of Virginia confirmed what is believed to be the world’s first documented alpha-gal syndrome death.
Doctors reported a 47-year-old New Jersey man died in 2024 after eating beef, with symptoms starting four hours after his meal.
The campaign group Tick Induced Allergies Research and Awareness (TIARA) has detailed guidance on its website for prevention.
People walking or working in areas where ticks occur, such as the bush, should wear light-coloured clothing including long-sleeved shirts and long pants tucked into socks.
If someone is bitten by a tick, people are advised not to remove it with tweezers or tick-removal gadgets, which might accidentally squeeze the tick.
Doing so could ’cause tick saliva to enter your body, increasing the risk of tick-induced allergies’, the campaign said.
The best removal method is to spray freezing medication and then allow the tick to drop off. If that fails, TIARA advises removal via a GP or at an emergency department.
