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Sydney parents are being warned about a major tick plague.

Doctors are warning there is a serious health risk for children and advise how you remove ticks is very important to get right.

Sydney mum, Susie Maher, shares her son Liam was bitten by a tick and suffered a severe reaction, reports 7 news.

“He came out in welts and very itchy and the end result for us was he contracted the mammalian meat allergy,” Ms Maher said.

Liam is now allergic to all red meat.

“It’s upsetting as a mother because if I had removed the ticks properly he wouldn’t have had the reaction that he got,” Ms Maher said.

Vet, Rob Zammit, has seen five cases recently and is urging parents it’s not just cats and dogs who need to be checked daily.

“This is very, very serious this year,” Mr Zammit said.

“Please parents check your children.”

Ticks have been found in Baulkham Hills and new construction areas in Rouse Hill, Box Hill, Engadine and in the Sutherland Shire and all of the northern beaches.

“Well, firstly, don’t get bitten,” Tiara medical specialist Associate Professor Sheryl van Nunen said.

“Dress for the ocassion – so have a long sleeve shirt on, have your long trousers with your shirt tucked in, and make your backyard safe for your family.”

Carefully checking for ticks, including the neck, scalp, groin and underarms when you come inside.

What to do if you are bitten by a tick

If you do get bitten by a tick experts say the worst thing to try and do is pull them out with tweezers as they can release toxins into your blood.

The best remedy for small ticks is scabies cream.

Experts say to dab it on and leave it for an hour and for big ticks give it five shots of dry ice. (We recommend a trip to the GP for that one)

One of our MoM members shares, “After A LOT of research I have found that if you use a repellant with the ingredient DEETS in it, it will help REPELL (not kill) ticks.”

Avoidance is the best option!

One study from a hospital in Sydney’s northern beaches found 34 of the 500 people who presented with tick bites suffered anaphylaxis.

Share your comments below

Image via 7 news

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  • I woke up one morning for work and went into the bathroom. While brushing my hair l noticed a red mark near my elbow. I thought maybe l burnt it with my hot water bottle, but the shape of the mark didn’t fit with the shape of the top of the hot water bottle which was the only thing l thought could of left that shaped mark. I told my daughter and she thought maybe it was a spider bite. I looked it up on the net cause it was circular, a bit like a ringworm but l noticed it had another red spot in the middle. Reminded me of a target. I found pictures on google when looking for insect bites and found a few that resembled mine. It said they were tick bites. I read up on ticks and thought no way. Next day l was sitting in my lounge room next to the window and noticed something crawling on the curtain. I got a tissue and a little container so l could check it out…It was a tick. I put it in the container and still have it. Took months to die. Prayed l wouldn’t have a reaction to meat and l’m good so far. That was 13 months ago so sure l’m right LOL. I am not in Sydney, I am in Flemington Victoria. After l told my sister she checked her yard and found some. She is right across from the racecourse.

    Here’s a pic of my tick.


    • The bite on my arm, looked worse around 48 hours earlier, was very red like a burn.

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  • This is one thing I always used to check my children for. Ticks can so easily be brought in by dogs and cats and fall off their fur if they weren’t properly attached and just hitching a ride then on to the ground and thence to your children. Always nasty things.

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  • I’d never would have expected ticks in a city. I thought they were mainly in rural areas. Good to know about using a repellant that has DEETS as an active ingredient.

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  • wow it’s amazing that this is an issue in sydney. i would have expected this article to come from the more rural areas

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  • Wow. Ok. This is not something you expect. Why have the ticks become more prevelant?

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  • We often go camping so being tick aware is a very big thing for us. We always carry tick removers in the car and in first aid kits. They are a very handy tool that you can buy on eBay- they allow you to remove the tick safely by getting under them to gently twist them out. I highly recommend.

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  • Oh dear, how very awful, thanks for sharing this.

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  • This is something that no-one wants to be affected by!

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  • Wow, I’ve never heard of this before. Only in dogs. Again a great post for awareness of something I didn’t know existing amongst humans.

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  • Strange this article doesn’t mention Lyme disease as well, which you can gets from ticks too. My sister has Lyme disease and very serious symptoms since many years.
    Never heard of scabies cream being the best remedy. Am I the only one who doesn’t have that at home ?

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  • Having had a tick buried in my back when I was a tween I know the scariness of them.
    Wishing this young lad well.

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  • How scary. A friend just found 3 on her dog yesterday and we’re meant to live in an area that doesn’t have those ticks. We’re about 100kms inside the boundry.


    • Apparently ticks like some other creepy crawlies are spreading further into new places due to climate changes.

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  • Ticks are pretty scary little things and I must admit I always worry a little about them after a trip to the beach. I do a thorough check and clean just to be sure there are no ticks. Poor little boy – must have been scary and I hope he manages well with the support and care of his family.

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  • So scary. And I would be so worried about Lyme disease too.

    Reply

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