Calls for parks to be sprayed after family get meat allergy from tick bites

Sonia Stackhouse would love to eat a steak or let her kids enjoy a sausage sizzle after their Saturday sport — but because of a tick bite, just one mouthful could kill them.

The Stackhouse family from left Sam 11, Sonia, Kai 15, and Flynn 9, all have a meat allergies caused by tick bites. Picture: Braden Fastier

• Northern beaches hot spot for ticks that cause meat allergies
• Boy suffers 30 tick bites from playing in the park

A MOTHER who says four out of five of her family have a meat allergy caused by tick bites is calling for public parks to be sprayed and better awareness of the growing health issue afflicting the northern beaches.

Sonia Stackhouse said herself and her three boys aged nine to 15, carry EpiPens wherever they go after two of them had anaphylactic reactions after eating meat.

Mrs Stackhouse, 43, said they all developed the dangerous allergy after being bitten by ticks in their local park in Warriewood, which is also home to bandicoots, which carry the ticks.

“I would like to see the council do something about the tick problem,” she said.

“Public parks should be sprayed, particularly ones where kids play.”

Four out of five members of the Stackhouse family have a meat allergy. From left Kai 15, Flynn 9, Sam 11, and Sonia, 43. Picture: Braden Fastier

Mrs Stackhouse, a successful blogger, said schools and local residents also needed to be more aware of the dangers of ticks and that the allergy can kill.

“Many people think we’re a family of crazy vegans out of choice,” Mrs Stackhouse said.

“I’d kill for a steak, but it would probably kill me.”

She said on the last occasion she ate meat she thought she was going to die.

Her husband Carl, who is the only one in the family not to have the allergy, realised there was no time to call an ambulance and drove her to Mona Vale Hospital, 3kms away.

“I felt my throat starting to close. Half way to the hospital I thought that was it,” said Mrs Stackhouse. “I was struggling to breathe.”

On arrival doctors gave her a shot of adrenaline.

While, the family can safely eat fish and chicken, beef, pork, lamb or kangaroo are off the shopping list.

The boys, Kai, 15, Sam, 11, and Flynn, 9, all have different reactions to meat or related products, from life-threatening anaphylaxis to severe stomach aches and old tick bites flaring up.

“When I was diagnosed five years ago I’d never heard of meat allergies and knew no-one else with this — now I know loads of people,” said Mrs Stackhouse.

Ben Taylor, deputy general manager at Northern Beaches Council, said ticks travel easily and breed quickly, so spraying on a large scale would not be successful or practical.

“Insecticides would also have an adverse effect on a whole range of non-target animals,” he said.

Mr Taylor advised people to wear protective clothing and use insect repellents in reserves and bushland.