The 57-year-old was injected with adrenalin and rushed to hospital after a paralysis tick latched onto her hip during a bushwalk at Currarong on September 3.

Australia’s eastern seaboard has the highest tick allergy incidence in the world thanks to the paralysis tick – a fact that is causing Ms Vandenberg to consider moving after 30 years in the region.

‘’I was an avid bushwalker and now I’m too frightened to go to the washing line,’’ she said.

‘’If I get a tick and it is disturbed and injects its toxin into me I could suffer the same or worse reaction – it could be fatal.’’

Ms Vandenberg is now under the care of one of Australia’s leading allergy experts – Associate Professor Sheryl Van Nunen. 

The Royal North Shore Hospital immunologist said severe tick allergies were now 20 times more frequent than bee-sting allergies.

‘’The most common type of serious tick-induced allergy is mammalian meat allergy - an allergy to meats such as beef, pork, lamb and kangaroo following tick bites,’’ she said.

‘’The second type is tick anaphylaxis which is less common but on the rise; in the past five years I’ve seen around 110 people suffering tick anaphylaxis.’’

Ms Vandenberg credits the quick action of friends including Julie Gilbert for her survival.

‘’My friends used the best available knowledge they had to treat my tick bite – they smothered it in cold cream and then Julie plucked it out with tweezers,’’ she said. 

‘’She did get the whole tick out but it had already done its dirty work. I had had ticks out in the past with fingernails, but this time my immune system decided to shut down. It could happen to anyone.’’ 

Ms Gilbert said within minutes of plucking the tick out, Ms Vandenberg was unconscious and her pulse could not be found.

‘’We were ready to start CPR but the paramedics came quickly and took her to Milton Ulladulla hospital where she was given more adrenalin and steroids,’’ Ms Gilbert said.

It’s peak season for the blood-sucking parasites. 

‘’If you do get a tick bite then freeze it, don’t squeeze it (with fingers or tweezers) as that’s when it releases its toxins into the blood,’’ Professor van Nunen said.

Prevention is better than cure when it comes to tick bites.

Cover up when walking in tick-prone areas and use insect repellant.

If bitten by a tick, kill it where it is. For small ticks, use permethrin cream and for adult ticks, freeze them with an ether-containing spray like Medi Freeze skin tag remover.

Wait for the tick to drop off or remove it taking care to not compress it. Remember – household tweezers are tick squeezers.