Jellyfish sting during the summer have become a common problem in recent years in many regions around the world, and with each summer families begin to prepare for long vacations, which families often spend on beaches to enjoy swimming and playing on the sand, the danger is renewed for hours of jellyfish that cause their stings infections Painful skin for those exposed to it while swimming, as the skin may be exposed to the secretions secreted by jellyfish, causing severe and very painful inflammation as a result of the fact that these secretions contain burning alkaline organic materials and cause what looks like skin burns. These stings vary in severity, they often lead to immediate pain, red marks and skin irritation, but some of them may cause more body diseases and be dangerous, and in rare cases they are life-threatening.
How do you deal with a jellyfish sting?
Here’s more about these painful stings, ways to prevent them and first aid to treat them, as well as how to treat the effects of a jellyfish sting that causes painful skin infections.
In nature, a jellyfish usually uses poison to protect itself from other prey and in hunting by killing its prey, its sting occurs when its long, dangling legs inject the skin of the victim or prey with poison.
It should be noted that jellyfish that may be washed out by sea waves remain dangerous despite their immobility, as jellyfish can still release poisonous stings if they are touched.
There are many quick things that must be followed to treat the effects of a jellyfish sting when exposed to it, and they are as follows:
The person must wash the place of the sting well with sea water immediately after feeling the inflammation resulting from the sting, in order to get rid of any traces of the sticky alkaline substance secreted by the jellyfish, and work to reduce its intensity on the skin.
Take the victim out of the water to the beach immediately, then rub the skin with vinegar and leave it a little on the skin to reduce the toxic secretion of jellyfish.
Wipe the remnants of secretions on the skin with a soft cotton cloth, and apply a type of cream used to treat the effects of inflammation and skin burns.
Symptoms of jellyfish stings:
The most common signs and symptoms of jellyfish stings are as follows:
The appearance of red, brown or purple spots on the skin where the injury occurred, swelling with burning pain and mild to severe tingling accompanied by itching, and this pain spreads to the leg or arm in most cases.
In addition, severe jellyfish stings can affect various body systems, especially when exposed to a jellyfish sting. The dangers are more tolerant, and these reactions may appear quickly at the moment or hours after the jellyfish stings. Among the most prominent of these other common symptoms are a feeling of stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, a feeling of headache, muscle pain accompanied by cramps, a feeling of weakness and lethargy, and in later cases exposure to fainting, confusion in the patient, difficulty breathing, with a sense of heart problems.
As we said, the severity of these symptoms depends on the type and size of the jellyfish, the length of time you were stung, and the area of skin affected by the sting. In addition to the age, size and health of the affected person.
It should be noted that severe reactions are more likely in children and people with a weak health condition, where their immunity is weak.
Complications of jellyfish stings:
Often the matter is not dangerous and the site of the injury heals after taking treatment, but sometimes there are possible complications from a jellyfish sting, which are:
Delayed hypersensitivity reaction, which results in blisters, rash, or other skin irritation 1-2 weeks after the bite.
Irukandji syndrome, which causes chest and stomach pain, high blood pressure, and heart problems.
Ways to prevent the dangers of jellyfish:
In order to avoid jellyfish stings, it is advisable to wear a protective suit when swimming or diving in areas where jellyfish may spread, and be sure to wear protective shoes as well.
Ask for information about swimming conditions where you’re going, especially remote, unguarded beaches. You can ask for information from on-site lifeguards, local residents, or local officials before swimming or diving, especially in areas where jellyfish are common.
Avoid the sea during the jellyfish season in areas known for its periodic jellyfish appearance, and stay out of the water when the number of jellyfish is large
Methods of treatment of jellyfish stings:
The treatment of jellyfish stings is complete by taking first aid immediately from anyone nearby if you cannot do it for yourself, especially if you do not have a companion, and then go to the nearest hospital or medical clinic to take the necessary treatment depending on the type of jellyfish, the severity of the sting and your reaction to it.
Some first aid tips for treating most jellyfish stings are as follows:
Carefully remove the jellyfish’s visible dermal tentacles without scratching the skin, using thin tweezers.
Wash the affected areas with salty sea water, not regular drinking water, because the salt in sea water helps more to reduce the toxicity of stings and helps facilitate the removal of tentacles stuck on the skin; then put on the stinging site any of the acidic products to neutralize the alkaline stinging jellyfish secretions, such as vinegar or yogurt…
put a little hot water on the site of the injury, test the water on the hand of a person who is not touched, you should feel the heat of the water without burning you.
In some cases, the injured must be taken for treatment immediately to the nearest hospital or doctor, in order to receive the appropriate treatment according to the condition and location of the sting, its severity, and the reaction of the victim’s body to the sting.
In an emergency situation, a person who has a severe reaction to a jellyfish sting may need cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), life support devices, or anti venom medication.
In general, a rash or any other skin reaction due to hypersensitivity can be treated with oral antihistamines or corticosteroids, and you can also be given oral pain medication, depending on your condition.
Dangers of behavior at sea that lead to evidence of jellyfish stings. Cases that increase your risk of jellyfish stings include the following:
Swimming at times when jellyfish appear in large numbers, and in jellyfish areas without protective clothing, where some risk swimming and not being caught by the presence of these dangerous sea creatures nearby, fornicating that the matter is just an exaggeration and does not call for all that fear, but it is a dangerous behavior that may lead to death in some cases.
Play or sit on the beach in places where waves sweep the jellyfish out of the water.
Swimming in a place known to have many jellyfish.
