What happens if youre stung by a jellyfish

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Are Jellyfish? If you get stung, take these two steps right away: Get out of the water.

Tell an adult. Here's what a parent or other adult can do to help you feel better if a jellyfish stings you: Rinse the area with vinegar. Not cool fresh water or seawater, which could make it worse. Avoid rubbing the area, which also can make things worse.

Use tweezers to pull off any tentacles still on your skin. Do not scrape a sting with a plastic card or anything else. Do not put ice or ice packs on a sting. A hot but not too hot shower or soak may help with the pain. Check with your doctor. Using certain creams or pain relievers may help you feel better.

But parents need to be aware of the risks posed by life in the tropics. Knowing where Queensland's most dangerous creatures live and how to treat an attack can help save a life. Although relatively few bites and stings are seriously dangerous to humans, it may be difficult to distinguish which bites and stings are serious from those which are not. Basic first aid procedures should be applied in all circumstances followed promptly by appropriate medical treatment.

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Your email: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Send to: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Jellyfish sting symptoms Major box jellyfish Where the jellyfish tentacles have made contact with the person's skin, there will usually be severe pain and a red or purple whip-like lesion.

Other box jellyfish Irukandji-like symptoms can occur minutes after the sting and include: severe pain in the body back, tummy, chest and muscles increased heart rate tachycardia anxiety and sweating nausea and vomiting in rare cases, fluid in the lungs pulmonary oedema in rare cases, damage to the heart Bluebottle and minor jellyfish Stings by bluebottle jellyfish are the most common in Australia.

Jellyfish sting treatment It can be hard to know which species of jellyfish has stung you. Treat any sting as if it is a sting by a major box jellyfish or other box jellyfish if: it is in the tropics in Australia you aren't sure what the jellyfish is there are multiple sting sites the person stung seems unwell Major box jellyfish Call triple zero for an ambulance and start the following first aid: Put plenty of vinegar on the jellyfish stings.

This stops any nematocytes that haven't already fired venom from firing. If vinegar is not available, wash with sea water. Carefully remove the tentacles from the skin. If the person is unconscious, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR Other box jellyfish If Irukandji-like symptoms occur as described above , call triple zero for an ambulance then: Put plenty of vinegar on the jellyfish stings.

Bluebottle and minor jellyfish Wash the sting site with sea water and remove any tentacles. Immerse the sting or run hot water on the skin for 20 minutes. Find your nearest minor injuries unit. The main symptoms of sea creature stings are intense pain where you're stung and an itchy rash. Jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war stings can also cause raised circular areas on the skin welts. Page last reviewed: 16 June Next review due: 16 June