The grieving family of an Australian teenager who died from a meat allergy linked to tick bites has shared their heartache, expressing to 60 Minutes Australia that a significant lack of awareness in both the public and medical fields contributed to doctors' misunderstanding of his condition.
Jeremy Webb lost his life almost four years ago at the age of 16, though a recent investigation indicates his death was due to an allergic reaction rather than asthma.
In June 2022, Webb and his friends were camping when the 16-year-old became sick a few hours after eating sausages and toasting marshmallows. Webb was vomiting and struggling to breathe when he collapsed. His friends performed CPR until the paramedics arrived, but Webb was pronounced dead when he got to the hospital.
Even though the cause of death was determined to be asthma-related, the boy's parents thought there was more to it. The family found Professor Sheryl van Nunen, an immunologist and allergy physician, who took a closer look.
"The forensic pathologist had put aside some blood from Jeremy, and that was tested, and we were able to make the diagnosis of mammalian meat allergy post-mortem," the professor said.
Mammalian meat allergy, also known as alpha-gal syndrome, is a food allergy that often begins with a tick bite. The allergy causes reactions to mammal meat and other foods, such as dairy products or gelatin.
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According to Webb's parents, he was often bitten by ticks as a young child, and around the age of 10, he began showing signs of a meat allergy. Webb had even been admitted to Gosford Hospital in New South Wales twice with symptoms of anaphylaxis, but was discharged both times with doctors attributing it to his asthma.
In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Webb's parents, Myfanwy and Jonathan, expressed their frustration at the lack of awareness around this condition.
"We had no idea that it's as dangerous as a brown snake," Webb's mother said. His father added, "If we'd known, our son would still be here today. I'm 100% sure of that."
Webb's parents aren't alone in their lack of knowledge; their son is only one of two people who have been documented as dying from alpha-gal syndrome. In November, researchers determined that a 47-year-old New Jersey man had died from the severe allergy.
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While these are the only two documented cases, Professor van Nunen believes it's just the tip of the iceberg. "I know more people have died from this," she said. "People who've been categorized as their mode of death being asthma where it's actually been food allergy."
CSIRO senior research scientist Alex Gofton shared a few precautions people can take to prevent tick bites, and what to do if you find a tick latched onto you. "
The most important thing is to remove the tick safely, as quickly as possible," he said. "The best way to do that is with a freezing spray … we live by the motto here, 'Freeze, don't squeeze.'"
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