Georgia woman contracts meat, mammal product allergy after tick bite

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – An outside journey left a Georgia girl with a life-threatening allergy to meat, dairy, soaps, and most mammal byproducts.

Amy Shea has utterly restructured her life after contracting Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) from a tick chew a yr and a half in the past.

“That is life-threatening. My life has modified utterly,” mentioned Shea.

Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergic response to merchandise with alpha-gal, a sugar molecule present in most mammals. The allergy is triggered by a Lone Star Tick chew. Lone Star Ticks may be discovered within the South, Midwest, and Jap U.S.

Shea mentioned she realized about her analysis after consuming a pot roast days after the tick chew.

“I took a chew of the roast and about an hour later I began having abdomen points and hives throughout my legs,” she mentioned.

Her response shortly worsened and despatched her to the hospital.

“I went to the ER and was in full anaphylactic shock by then,” she defined.

Shea can’t eat meat, dairy, or different mammal merchandise. She should learn each label on meals and product packaging – from soaps to make-up. Her allergy is so extreme, that the scent of meat from a barbecue or restaurant can ship her physique into shock.

“Probably the most tough half just isn’t having the ability to exit with my household. All of them went out to dinner final evening and I stayed dwelling,” she defined.

In response to the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies, the variety of folks growing the syndrome is growing yearly. Tick season begins in April and ends in August.

The CDC recommends avoiding grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, treating clothes or gear with Permethrin, and utilizing EPA registered insect repellants.

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