Some 2,300 jellyfish were estimated at Waikiki beaches on Saturday and another 1,000 at Ala Moana shores, according to local reports. More than 20 stings have been reported, and ambulances responded to two incidents.
Waikiki lifeguards said they were closing the beach because of an infestation of the dreaded box jellyfish. Experts say a sting from a box jellyfish or other venomous types can be deadly.
According to eMedicineHealth.com:
Jellyfish are free swimming, non aggressive, gelatinous marine animals surrounded by tentacles. These tentacles are covered with sacs (nematocysts) that are filled with poison (venom) that can cause a painful to sometimes life-threatening sting. The marine animals included in the “family” are jellyfish, box jellyfish (sea wasps), Portuguese man-of-war, hydroids, anemones, and fire coral.
Symptoms from a jellyfish sting include:
- intense, stinging pain, itching, rash, and raised welts,
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lymph node swelling, abdominal pain, numbness/tingling, and muscle spasms, and
- severe reactions can cause difficulty breathing, coma, and death.
If you’re stung by a jellyfish, any kind of jellyfish, see a physician:
- if you have difficulty breathing, swallowing, chest pain, or intense pain at the site of the sting,
- if you have been stung in the mouth or have had tentacles in your mouth and are having voice changes, difficulty swallowing, or any swelling of the tongue or lips,
- if the sting happened to someone who is very young or old,
- if the sting involves a large area of the body, the face, or genitals,
- if you continue to have itching, redness, pain, or swelling of the skin around the sting, or
- if it has been longer than 10 years since your last tetanus shot.
According to Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler stings from box jellyfish are the most dangerous type of jellyfish sting. The box jellyfish found in Australian waters has venom so deadly that it may cause cardiovascular, and respiratory problems, along with neuromuscular paralysis so severe that it can kill an adult within minutes.
If you are stung by a box jellyfish, seek medical help immediately. While you are waiting for medical help:
Flood the area with vinegar until medical help is available and keep as still as possible. If you are not close to medical care, soak the area and tentacles for 10 minutes or more, before attempting to remove them using gloves or forceps. If the sting is on the arms or legs, you can place a pressure dressing around the sting. Be careful that you do not stop blood flow – the fingers and toes should always stay pink. This will help to slow down the spread of the toxin.
Jellyfish stings are a common health hazard for beach vacationers. All jellyfish stings should be treated immediately. By the way, the “home remedy” of treating jellyfish stings with urine doesn’t really work.
Most jellyfish stings are harmless yet extremely painful. Some, however, like the box jellyfish found in Australia, and this past week in Hawaii, can be deadly. Of course, if you’re in an area prone to jellyfish in the water, you must be alert. If there are reports of jellyfish in the water, swim elsewhere.
After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
