Jellyfish Stings

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Jellyfish Stings

Introduction

Jellyfish do not purposely attack humans. Swimmers got stung by the creature usually because they have touched its tentacles accidentally. A jellyfish sting can cause discomfort, or even death as such an unintended touch may cause the tentacles to discharge nematocysts, which will pierce the skin, leaving venom in the human body. Therefore, we should learn the symptoms and treatment of jellyfish stings.

 

Symptoms

  • Obvious stripes of rashes and even blisters on the skin, which resemble wounds from whipping;
  • Redness, swelling, itchiness and pain at the stung area;
  • Nausea, whole-body soreness, increased heart rate, breathing difficulty, and even shock or death in severe cases.

 

Treatment

  • Get out of the water as quickly as possible;
  • Do not touch the stung area with bare hands as you may get secondary stings from the venomous stingers or tentacles of the jellyfish remaining on the skin;
  • Rinse the stung area with clean seawater.  Do not use fresh water or distilled water because it may trigger the nematocysts that remain on the surface of the stung area to release more venom;
  • Soak the stung area in hot water (of about 42ºC) to ease the pain;
  • Seek medical attention immediately if the symptoms become severe or if the sting is on the face or in the eyes.