JELLYFISH STINGS AND CARE

The Hawaiian Islands are surrounded by beautiful tropical waters inhabited by a wide variety of marine life. An abundant group of marine creatures found in O‘ahu waters are jellyfish. While jellyfish stings are generally harmless, knowing basic first aid techniques can help in the event of an emergency. The south facing beaches of O‘ahu are impacted the most by box jellyfish blooms, which are frequent throughout the year. For this species, blooms are most prominent eight days after a full moon. Jellyfish use their long tentacles as a defense mechanism, and to help them capture their prey. The tentacles are equipped with cnidoblasts- cells containing nematocycts, which act as a paralyzing agent to their prey. When humans come into contact with venomous jellyfish tentacles, it is not usually fatal, but still requires first aid. As Hawaiian waters are warm, tropical jellyfish stings get treated differently to cold water jellyfish. Luckily, scientists like Angel Yanagihara have done extensive research on the treatment of jellyfish stings, so we have the information necessary to mitigate harm done by stings. If stung, the first step is to remove any tentacles still on the skin. This needs to be done carefully, as moving them around could release more venom. Once the tentacles are removed, rinse the area with vinegar to deactivate the toxins. Commercial sprays such as ‘Sting No More ™’ (developed by Dr. Yanagihara) can also be used. If the substances mentioned above are not available, rinsing the area in hot water will also help deactivate the toxins. After the area has been rinsed, hot or ice packs can be used to soothe and reduce the pain. Avoid washing the area with seawater. Additionally, the old wives’ tale that urine will deactivate the toxins is false. Always be cautious when in the water, but do not let fear of stings prevent you from enjoying the ocean! For more information about treating jellyfish stings, go to: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319139.php#jellyfish-sting-treatment:-first-aid-for-jellyfish-stings, or to learn more about Dr. Yanagihara’s research, go to: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4728541/. Hydra tentacles with nematocysts. By: Marc Perkins, Flickr.