Tragic Camping Trip Leads to Teenager's Untimely Death
A grieving Australian mother believes her 16-year-old son died during a camping trip because of a dangerous red meat allergy caused by multiple tick bites. Jeremy Webb was enjoying an outing with three friends on the Central Coast on June 10, 2022, when he consumed beef sausages cooked over a campfire.
By 11pm that evening, the athletic teenager began experiencing breathing difficulties and collapsed while attempting to seek help from an adult in a nearby caravan. Despite his friends' efforts to resuscitate him, Jeremy was pronounced dead just ninety minutes later at Gosford Hospital.
Investigation Reveals Posthumous Allergy Diagnosis
A coronial inquest is currently examining whether Jeremy's death resulted from the beef sausages he ate, following a posthumous diagnosis of mammalian meat allergy. This potentially fatal condition can be triggered by tick bites and may cause symptoms ranging from stomach discomfort and nausea to hives, swelling, or life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Dr Myfanwy Webb explained that her son had suffered repeated tick bites from age two during various camping trips, which she believes led to adverse reactions to red meat. "When I first suspected mammalian meat allergy, I did look into it, but there wasn't much information back then," she told the ABC.
"I sort of saw it as a food intolerance, not an allergy that can kill you from anaphylaxis."
Growing Concern Over Tick-Induced Allergies
Initially, Jeremy's death was attributed to asthma, but the subsequent posthumous diagnosis revealed the truth about his condition. His mother expressed concern that if the cause of death was incorrectly determined, there could be more fatal cases of this misunderstood allergy.
Allergy specialist Associate Professor Sheryl van Nunen informed the inquest that symptoms can take up to five hours to appear after consuming red meat. "But when it starts, it evolves rapidly. So people go from zero to one hundred," she testified.
Medical experts have concluded that Jeremy died from a combination of severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis and an acute asthma attack.
The inquest is examining several critical aspects, including the adequacy of Jeremy's medical treatment before his death, the role anaphylaxis played in his passing, and whether earlier detection could have prevented the tragedy.
Associate Professor van Nunen revealed alarming statistics, noting a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in mammalian meat allergy diagnoses across Australia since 2020. The highest incidence rates occur in New South Wales and Queensland, with the Sydney basin - particularly the Northern Beaches area - emerging as a global hotspot for this condition.
Maria Said, health strategy manager at Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia, told the ABC that Jeremy's death might represent the first recorded fatality from mammalian meat allergy after eating meat in Australia. She emphasised that "death from mammalian meat allergy can be caused by meat products in foods or even in medication."
NSW Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes is expected to deliver her findings by the end of the year, potentially leading to greater awareness and prevention measures for this rare but dangerous allergy.
