What to do if you are stung by a jellyfish: Jellyfish burn, jellyfish sting, first aid

Vladimir July 10, 2020 Category First medical aid

First aid 5

Hello everyone, friends! Vladimir Raichev is with you, and today I would like to talk to you about how first aid is provided for a jellyfish sting. After all, the time for vacations, beach resorts and leisurely measured relaxation is just around the corner. And nothing should overshadow our vacation, don’t you agree?

Jellyfish look beautiful in pictures. But in reality, getting to know them is fraught with unpleasant consequences - bites. They are not life-threatening, but due to the large number of small stings that get on the skin, the poison spreads and causes poor health, burning, and redness.

And although scientists identify about 400 species of jellyfish, only a tenth of them can sting. Passionate travelers know that jellyfish living in the Black Sea are less dangerous than their relatives from the Japanese or Mediterranean Sea.

If the thirst for new experiences has brought you to the Hawaiian Islands or the coast of Australia, take note that a jellyfish codenamed “sea wasp” lives in these waters. It is virtually invisible and its bite is fatal within five minutes.

Briefly about jellyfish

The number of poisonous jellyfish is not so large; more precisely, not every hydroid poses a danger to humans. All species have stinging cells and are capable of attacking prey. But the jellyfish stings for a reason. Either she gets food or defends herself.

Tropical waters are home to brightly colored specimens that can be seen from afar. The unusual color of the dome should alert travelers. The Black Sea is inhabited by Cornerot of the species Rhizostoma pulmo. The size of its dome can reach 80 cm, but more often – 20-30 cm. The tentacles are up to 30 cm long, the danger is moderate. An encounter with individuals of this species can cause permanent burns.

One of the most dangerous cnidarians in the world, the Irukandji, swims in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. It is small in size, but can sting to death. Black jellyfish that bite travelers in Tunisia can cause no less harm. Their burns are painful and poisonous.

A holiday in Spain can be overshadowed by an encounter with a Portuguese man-of-war. It’s not surprising to come across him in Thailand and Italy. The Mediterranean Sea is home to the most dangerous of the cnidarians, the Box Jellyfish, but you won’t find them on the coast. Brown cnidarians – “sea nettles” – are also found there. From May to October, hydroids in Thailand become more active. Even a Box Jellyfish may be spotted at this time, in which case the beaches are closed.

The beaches of Vietnam are famous for the dominance of hydroids. It cannot be said that individuals greatly harm humans, but jellyfish in Vietnam can cause inconvenience when swimming. Sometimes there are so many of them that the process of swimming itself is impossible. Local residents swim in the sea with their clothes on to avoid unpleasant contacts.

A bite from a gonionema or cross jellyfish can cause severe burns and paralysis. At best, you can get away with irritation. You can recognize the crossbill by the greenish-yellow color of its dome and long tentacles.

Dangerous species of jellyfish and their habitat

350 species of jellyfish swim in the waters of the seas and oceans. The list of especially poisonous animals is small:

Aurelia aurita. The diameter of the dome is 40 cm. It lives in the Azov and Black Seas. A jellyfish sting is painless, but it causes a severe burn.
Cornerot. The dome size is 2 meters or more. Resident of the Azov and Okhotsk Seas. The bite is painful, but not strong. It is provoked by his touching the animal.
Sea wasp (a species of box jellyfish). Diameter 40 cm, length of tentacles - 15 cm. Homeland - shallow waters of Indonesia and Australia. The most dangerous species, killing in 3 minutes.
Irukandji (also refers to box jellyfish). Size 15-20 mm, tentacles 10-15 times longer. Typical representative of Australia, Oceania. Jellyfish are extremely poisonous and cause acute heart failure.

What does a jellyfish sting look like?

Contact with jellyfish can cause paralysis in humans. This condition is especially dangerous in deep water or far from shore. A burn from a jellyfish can be mild, and then only irritation and redness of the skin occurs. If a jellyfish manages to sting a person in the eye or other mucous membranes, severe inflammation develops. The stinging thread is involved in the process of hydroid movement. Accidental contact with this coelenterate organ can cause a burn.

If the amount of poison is large, then the bite will be very painful - radiating to the body. The paralyzing poison causes convulsions and blisters on the body. What does a hydroid burn look like? Almost the same as a regular thermal or chemical one - with redness, pain, local hyperemia. Strong allergic reactions allow you to directly recognize the bite of a cnidarian.

On the Sea of Azov, vacationers again noticed an invasion of jellyfish. After a recent storm they washed up on the coast. Therefore, there are many jellyfish both in the sea and on the shore.

Summer holidays are in full swing, and today we will talk about some of the features of staying away from home. First of all, we are talking about seaside holidays in the resorts of the Azov region. We won’t talk about common truths; in the end, whether to swim beyond the buoys or not, whether to wear a white Panama hat, to drink or not to drink - what, where, when and with whom, whether to visit the beach in the midday heat - is everyone’s right to choose. What to take with you when going on a trip? First of all, we are talking about medications. Answers to these and other questions will be given by therapist and allergist Elena Manokhinaya from Zaporozhye, writes Saturday +.

If you suffer from chronic diseases - coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc., be sure to take your medications for basic therapy with you. Discuss with your doctor a plan of action in case of emergencies or exacerbations of your diseases; it is better to have written step-by-step instructions with a list of all necessary additional medications. After all, the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases significantly with active recreation and exposure to the sun.

Creature from myths

In recent years (for more than 30 years), holidays on the Sea of Azov have acquired unusual nuances. This is a jellyfish invasion. The sea jellyfish got its name because of its resemblance to the moving hair-snake of the legendary Gorgon jellyfish from Greek mythology (a monster with a female face whose gaze turned anyone to stone). There are over 200 species of jellyfish in the world. The Black and Azov Seas are inhabited mainly by two species: the less dangerous aurelia (eared jellyfish) and the rather poisonous rhizostoma (cornerot).

The body of jellyfish consists largely of water-rich connective tissue - mesoglea and is shaped like a bell or an umbrella. This structure provides the ability for reactive movement by contracting the muscles of the bell wall. Their body is 98% water and 2% fatty acids. Even the largest jellyfish, whose linear dimensions exceed a meter and whose mass reaches several centners, are not able to withstand sea currents. To hunt prey and protect themselves from enemies, the tentacles of jellyfish are equipped with stinging cells that contain poisons that can cause serious damage to the skin in humans and not only local, but also systemic reactions. The last invasions of these creatures were observed in our area in the early 80s of the last century. It is believed that warm winters and increased salinity of sea water are favorable factors for their movement from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea.

“Lawyer” for jellyfish

But in nature nothing happens in vain. Now I will act as an advocate for these creatures. Did you know that in almost all countries of Southeast Asia, some types of jellyfish are not only eaten, but are also delicacies?

They are called by a romantic name - crystal fish (keep in mind, lovers of long journeys and exotic dishes). Jellyfish are used to prepare salads, noodles, sushi, first courses and even ice cream. In China, cornerots (our compatriots) have been used in haute cuisine for more than 1,700 years! Because They consist almost of water and are also low-calorie ingredients. They are pickled, fried, used as flavoring additives and in the preparation of caramel sweets.

Mexican scientists have found that jellyfish can restore human skin after, for example, wounds. The fact is that invertebrates have structures similar to the first two layers of human skin: the dermis and epidermis. Research results have shown that by processing jellyfish, it is possible to obtain so-called scaffolds, which were tested on skin fibroblasts, which in turn allows the cells to create connective tissue and heal wounds.

Another amazing property of jellyfish is that under stress or mechanical damage, they are capable of reverse development (from a more mature to a young individual again). This property is currently being actively studied by Japanese scientists, and may form the basis of the elixir of eternal youth!

But let's go back to the 80s. With the total dominance of jellyfish in the Sea of Azov, the USSR Ministry of Fisheries instructed the Azov Research Institute to find methods to combat jellyfish and develop ways to use them. At the same time, their active industrial catching began. They were added to animal feed (body weight gain in pigs was more than 10%) and birds. Due to the high content of microelements, raw materials from processed jellyfish were used in the cosmetics and food industries, as a fertilizer for soils, and jellyfish were added to cement mortars for greater strength. It was the mass catch that saved us for a long time from the dominance of these not very pleasant guests.

Do you have contact?

However, what happened was what happened. Jellyfish have appeared in our area again. And now vacationers are asked not about the weather at sea or even about prices for accommodation, but about the presence of jellyfish in the water and on the beaches. Therefore, when going to the resorts of the Azov region, you need to remember several rules when contacting these creatures.

As a rule, in most healthy people, the place that was stung by a jellyfish resembles a banal nettle mark. But there is different sensitivity to the same poison in different people, different skin types and its initial condition.

The healthy skin of a healthy person independently copes not only with the consequences of contact with jellyfish (this also includes bites of hymenoptera (bees and wasps) and blood-sucking mosquitoes, and other injuries). Alas, healthy skin is a great luxury today. Lifestyle, the use of many chemicals, catastrophically low water consumption, and the general increase in allergic diseases lead to abnormal functioning of the skin of modern humans. First of all, dryness. Dry skin is much more sensitive to damage, and then to complications: fungal, infectious, etc.

What to do?

Rule No. 1

Drink water! Trite? Not at all. The human body consists of up to 70% water (not jellyfish, of course, and we are not cucumbers, but still). In the absence of contraindications (heart and kidney disease), an adult needs at least 35 ml per 1 kg of water weight per day. If you are on an active holiday, in direct sunlight, or in hot weather, this figure may increase.

Rule No. 2

The skin should be damp. In patients with allergic diseases, xerosis (dry skin) is common. This requires artificial humidification.

Rule No. 3

In case of a burn, act quickly! Contact with a jellyfish causes a burn to the skin. And depending on the contact area: from several centimeters to several decimeters. An important feature of jellyfish is the production of poison even by a non-living individual, as well as the separate existence of stinging cells in water and even on sand separately from the jellyfish itself or during its decomposition.

Therefore, you need to get out of the water to the shore as quickly as possible, remove the tentacles remaining on the skin with your hands, previously wrapped in a cloth, napkin, rubber gloves or whatever is at hand, in order to avoid further contact with the skin. You can also remove remnants of stinging cells from the skin by applying wet sand and scraping it off with a stick after a few minutes. Rinse the affected area with sea water. Do not use running fresh water! If possible, disinfect the burn areas with alcohol-containing liquids; acetic acid will also work. Apply lemon to the affected areas in a loose, preferably sterile bandage.

Separately, I will give another recommendation from the doctor and traveler Yuri Senkevich: wash the burn site with baking soda or another alkaline solution, your own urine will also do. Rescuers of the Australian Coastal Service recommend applying ice (always in a thick and airtight plastic bag). By the way, effective tanning products applied before swimming significantly prevent the likelihood of getting burned by jellyfish.

Rule No. 4

If possible, seek qualified medical help. No - contact your doctor. This is not just a rule. The venoms of various jellyfish can cause not only burns, but also paralysis of the nervous system; systemic reactions are possible: cardiovascular, allergic, even anaphylactic shock. Symptoms may take several days to appear, so do not underestimate these animals and rely on the traditional chance. Symptoms may be the following: burning, stabbing pain, redness or darkening of the burn site, fever, nausea, dizziness, chills, severe headache, shortness of breath, cough, pain in the eyes.

Rule No. 5

If you burn your eyes, consult a doctor as soon as possible. The above tips are not suitable for helping with contact with the cornea and irreversible processes may begin. You can take antihistamines, but their selection is also strictly individual.

Still, no matter what, a vacation is always great, and a vacation at sea is doubly pleasant. Let your stay in all parts of the world be comfortable, your impressions be bright, and your emotions positive.

Let's be healthy together!

Bite symptoms

Features of a burn from hydroid venom include slowly developing symptoms. Sometimes symptoms after a jellyfish sting appear after 40-60 minutes, when the concentration of venom reaches its maximum. Red spots form at the site of the bite, the skin itches and becomes covered with blisters or blisters. Along with redness and itching, signs of a burn appear, such as bright rashes, persistent swelling, and an allergic rash.

If a jellyfish burn was caused by dangerous individuals, then the symptoms expand:

body temperature rises;
convulsions occur;
neurological pain appears;
heart rate increases;
dizzy, nauseous.

Additional symptoms of a jellyfish sting include difficulty breathing, increased blood pressure, and sweating. If you are allergic to poison, suffocation may develop.

Chiropsalmus jellyfish (Chiropsalmus quadrigatus)

This species of box jellyfish is a smaller version of the "Sea Wasp". But despite its tiny size, it contains a very dangerous poison.

Chiropsalmus Quadrigatus jellyfish sting

very painful and in some cases can be fatal. After a burn, cardiac arrest and cessation of breathing with acute pulmonary edema may occur. The distinctive features of the jellyfish are the appendages on four sides of the dome and the seven long, flat tentacles that grow from each appendage.

Scientists believe that the unusual tentacles are better suited to catching fish rather than crustaceans and other jellyfish, which are usually the prey of these creatures.

Where he lives:

They live in the Indo-Pacific region and the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, where human encounters with these jellyfish occur annually, where they are called “habu”.

What to do if you are stung by a jellyfish

Knowing the causes of the burn, it is easier to choose treatment. If you are stung by a high-risk jellyfish, you cannot do without an antidote. The victim is urgently taken to a medical aid station.

You can provide first aid for a minor jellyfish burn on the spot. Do not treat affected skin with fresh water. The stung area is washed with salt water; if pieces of tentacles remain, they are removed with tweezers or improvised means.

What you should not do if you are stung by a jellyfish is scratch, even if the itching is unbearable. It is necessary to take an antihistamine and rest in the shade. First aid for an accidental jellyfish sting involves applying an ice compress. The wound should be treated with soothing ointments; if they are not at hand, shaving foam can be applied.

What to do after a bite if jellyfish venom gets into your eyes? In this case, they are washed with running water. If these actions do not bring relief and the pain persists, take an analgesic.

During the healing stage, regenerating agents, for example, D-panthenol, can be applied to the bite. It is strictly forbidden to apply alcohol-containing products to burns - ethanol accelerates the spread of the poison. If you don’t know what to do in case of a burn, proven folk remedies will help - aloe juice, lemon pulp. Raw egg whites and tomato puree will help with a jellyfish sting. It is also possible to anoint the damaged area with freshly chopped carrot pulp.

Better to prevent

What to do if you are stung by a jellyfish? First, it should be remembered that an invertebrate marine animal with a gelatinous body will never attack a person first. When going on vacation, it is advisable to inquire in advance about the presence, number and degree of danger of jellyfish in the planned region of stay.

avoid swimming in places where their numbers are high;
When detected close, try to move away as much as possible and keep your distance. In a calm state, the animal does not throw out tentacles;
Do not touch a sea creature under any circumstances, even if at first glance it seems safe and attractive. It should be remembered that even a dead jellyfish can sting painfully;
do not walk barefoot in places where the animal or pieces of tentacles can be thrown out by waves;
in an area with a high concentration of jellyfish, swim only in protective equipment using a mask, wetsuit, fins and gloves;
do not drink alcohol on the beach: alcohol helps to weaken the reaction and deteriorate well-being after a burn;
Before swimming, it is recommended to apply certain lotions to the skin, which, when mixed with sunscreen, protect against jellyfish sting for an hour.

Treatment

Only a doctor will tell you how to treat a jellyfish burn. For example, the bite of any Black Sea jellyfish does not pose a mortal danger, but after the bite of a Sea Wasp jellyfish, the administration of an antidote is required. Taking a loading dose of antihistamines will help prevent an allergic reaction. In medicine, tablets such as Claritin, Cetrin, and Zodak are widely used.

Local corticosteroids are considered effective drugs for hydroid bites, the main drug is hydrocortisone ointment, other drugs are Advantan, Akriderm. Reliable ointments for jellyfish stings - Metizolon, Comfoderm. Local therapy will be complemented by anti-inflammatory drugs - Voltaren, Baneocin. They improve healing and make burn treatment effective.

A reliable remedy for an extensive jellyfish burn is Epidel. Fenistil gel can relieve itching. If there are complications, a jellyfish sting will have to be treated with antibiotics. Among medicines, Neosporin has proven itself well.

How long a burn lasts depends on the intensity of the exposure. If symptoms persist several weeks later, the doctor will re-examine and determine how to treat the effects of the burn. The faster the inflammation goes away, the shorter the duration of the poison's effect.

Box jellyfish Sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri)

Box jellyfish of the species Chironex fleckeri

also known as the Sea Wasp, is one of the most dangerous jellyfish in the world, not only because of its deadly poison.

This huge jellyfish is almost invisible

, making it very difficult to detect. They prefer to hunt during the day in shallow water, which means they are much more likely to encounter one on the beach.

The venom of a box jellyfish is considered the strongest of all types of jellyfish.

A dose the size of just a grain of salt can kill an adult man. After a bite, a person experiences terrible pain and an excruciating burning sensation. If medical help is not sought promptly, cardiac arrest and death may occur.

It is considered the world's deadliest jellyfish, having killed around 63 people in Australia over the past 80 years, and that's just the known cases.

You can recognize a box jellyfish by its pale blue, almost transparent color and quadrangular, dome-shaped head. In each corner of the dome head there are 15 tentacles growing up to 3 meters.

Where he lives:

The box jellyfish lives mainly in the coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, as well as in the Indo-Western Pacific Ocean.

Prevention

In order not to look for an antidote for a jellyfish sting, it is better to take care of your own safety in advance. When meeting a jellyfish, you should not be curious and swim up to a large specimen. The length of the tentacles can reach several meters, and the effect of the poison will not be slow to manifest itself after minimal contact.

You should not even touch a dead or washed-up specimen. Safety rules exclude swimming in a storm or when the sea is rough.

To avoid being bitten, do not go into water in potentially dangerous places. You should leave the reservoir if individuals appear whose appearance causes concern. When traveling, it is worth taking healing ointments and creams, which include Panthenol and Solcoseryl.

Dear readers of the 1MedHelp website, if you still have questions on this topic, we will be happy to answer them. Leave your reviews, comments, share stories of how you experienced a similar trauma and successfully dealt with the consequences! Your life experience may be useful to other readers.

What measures can be taken in case of a jellyfish sting?

1. First of all, you should remain calm and have a clear mind, get out of the water and sit in the shade.

2. If fragments of tentacles are stuck to the skin, you need to get rid of them. The stinging cells remaining after the jellyfish can be removed with any dry and blunt object such as the blunt side of a knife, credit card, wood chips, or simply dry sand. If you don't have anything suitable, you can use a dry towel or rag. If you are bitten in a hard-to-reach place, for example in the back, you should seek outside help.

3. To neutralize the poison, you need to make a lotion from a bandage or gauze soaked in table vinegar or a solution of baking soda, wipe the bite area with ethyl or ammonia. If they are unavailable, you can use a sugar solution or vegetable oil. Among the folk remedies, a tomato slice is suitable for this purpose.

4. To ease the pain, you can apply cold to the affected area.

5. Then apply a dry bandage to the stung area

6. To slow the spread of poison, the limb must be immobilized.

7. If you are stung by a jellyfish, drinking plenty of fluids is also recommended.

8. If allergic reactions occur, you can take antihistamines and pain relievers.

9. The victim should be shown to a doctor, especially if there are concomitant diseases, for example, asthma or if there is an increase in temperature, convulsions, or shortness of breath.

Cannonball Jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris)

Another jellyfish that many people mistakenly consider to be deadly. It is often called the "Cabbage" for its distinctive cannonball and dome shape.

The jellyfish is mostly harmless and feeds primarily on animal plankton, and very rarely stings people. However, you need to remember that these inhabitants produce toxins that can cause heart disease in people.

Where he lives:

This species of jellyfish lives in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean and in the east-central and northwestern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Medusa-cross: photo, description

This is a rather poisonous small creature that hides in the sea thickets, but sometimes gets out to the shores.

The body of the jellyfish is completely transparent, so all its internal organs, representing the shape of a cross, are clearly visible. This is why it is often called a cross.

People who have been bitten by this animal often turn to doctors.

The cross has a yellowish-green transparent high dome with a diameter of 2.5 centimeters and 60 thin tentacles bearing thickenings, which are a cluster of stinging cells. Moreover, their length can vary greatly, although in fact they are not so large. When extended, the tentacles reach a length of up to half a meter. Near the top they have a sharp bend.

Nomura jellyfish (Nemopilema nomurai)

This is one of the very large species of cornet jellyfish, whose parameters are comparable to the Hairy Cyanea. They grow up to 2 meters in diameter and reach a weight of up to 220 kg.

It is very difficult to get rid of this species of jellyfish, since in case of danger, nomura releases billions of sperm and eggs, which attach to corals and stones, from which even more jellyfish grow under favorable conditions.

A jellyfish sting is very painful, but usually not fatal. Over the entire period, 8 deaths were recorded.

Where he lives:

They live mainly in the waters between China and Japan in the Yellow and East China Seas.

Jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora

This tiny box jellyfish measures about 1cm in diameter and is incredibly poisonous. She has a complex visual system consisting of 24 eyes, each of which has its own function.

Where he lives:

It lives in the tropical mangrove lagoons of Central America, hiding among the roots of trees to hide from predators.

Long-eared aurelia (Aurelia aurita)

This jellyfish might not have made it onto this list. Eared aurelia is very common, and if you have ever visited an aquarium or seen a jellyfish, then most likely you have come across this particular species.

These are transparent jellyfish measuring 25-40 cm in diameter, distinguished by a pink or purple "flower" with four petals in the center. The long-eared aurelia uses its tentacles to hunt carnivorous prey, mainly plankton and other small animals. The species lives only a few months (maximum six).

They do not sting and cause mild irritation, and they are on the list only because their danger is often exaggerated.

Where he lives:

They live along the eastern coast of Northern Europe, the western Atlantic coast of North America, as well as in the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

Do all jellyfish sting?

There are several thousand species of jellyfish, and about 300 thousand jellyfish have yet to be discovered.

Not all jellyfish cause burns. Of those that sting, only a small portion are truly dangerous to humans.

Most cases of burns occur while swimming, if you accidentally stumble upon a jellyfish in shallow water, step on it or parts of it on the shore, or pick it up. Long-distance swimmers are at greatest risk.

Are jellyfish poisonous?

It depends on what you mean by "poisonous". Many jellyfish sting, but are not life-threatening. Some stings are very painful, but a jellyfish is considered poisonous if it contains toxins that cause real and lasting harm.

One of the most dangerous are box jellyfish that live in the Indo-Pacific region, whose venom is extremely strong. These jellyfish can sting in close proximity, even if you don't touch them, and their venom is life-threatening.

How to avoid a jellyfish sting?

Pay attention to signs on the beach warning of jellyfish.
Try not to touch the jellyfish, even if you think they are harmless or have washed ashore and are dead, as some jellyfish can still be poisonous.
If you see a jellyfish in the water, swim away from it, as jellyfish usually swim in groups.
Wetsuits generally protect against jellyfish stings, although exposed skin such as the arms, face and legs may be susceptible to burns.

Symptoms of a jellyfish sting

You may feel a burning pain, itching, and may develop a rash or blisters.

Some people may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, numbness or tingling, and muscle cramps.

Allergic reactions

Jellyfish are quite rare and can cause swelling, chest tightness, difficulty breathing and an anaphylactic reaction.

Is it possible to urinate on a jellyfish sting?

Under no circumstances should you urinate on the site of a jellyfish sting. The contents of your bladder can range from acidic to alkaline. If your urine is alkaline, it will produce even more toxins and make your condition worse.