Jellyfish stung: what can and cannot be done categorically

Summer is a time of holidays and long-awaited dates with sandy beaches and salty sea water. And how great is the grief if during the cherished rest you have to face the ill-fated marine inhabitants - jellyfish.

On the Black Sea coast, you can meet only 3 species of jellyfish (cornerote, mnemyopsis and aurelia), burns from which, although not dangerous, can cause a lot of unpleasant consequences. Burning, pain, redness - a minimum bouquet of pleasures, and if you get under a fair distribution and do not take proper measures, vacation, consider spoiled.





You don't know what to do if stung? Don't panic! An experienced therapist told the editorial staff "Site"What measures to take if you become a victim of an attack by a poisonous inhabitant of the sea? We highly recommend reading to anyone who is going on vacation.

Most jellyfish, even the most seemingly harmless, hide in their graceful jelly-like body stinging cells - nematocytes, which they need to protect themselves from enemies and kill prey. Dangerous jellyfish cells act like a harpoon: they shoot, fix themselves on the skin and inject nerve agent poison into the victim’s body through the finest channels.

The hot cells remain on the skin and continue to inject the poison, causing unpleasant burns. The consequences of contact with jellyfish can be deplorable if you do not start acting in time.



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Burn symptoms

1. The first thing that the victim feels is a sharp pain and an unbearable burning sensation, but these are only flowers.
2. Often, an allergic reaction to a bite can be accompanied by the appearance of a rash and small blisters that can merge with each other.
3. If a large area of the body is affected, the victim's body temperature rises and general intoxication of the body occurs (nausea, vomiting, headache).
4. In severe cases, a jellyfish bite can lead to anaphylactic shock and Quincke's edema.

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There is a certain algorithm of actions that should be followed if you received a burn from a jellyfish. From the observance of these simple rules depends on the size of the focus of inflammation and the consequences!

First aid

1. The first thing to do is stop contact with the poison. Having received a burn, you need to immediately get out of the water and start treating the affected area of the skin. During bathing, the burn may seem insignificant, but over time the effect of the poison only increases.
2. It is necessary to clean the place of the burn. The fastest way is to rinse the affected area with salty sea water or 50% soda solution. Do not use fresh water for this purpose. It only activates poisonous stinging cells, causing even more pain and burning.
   
   
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3. Never rub the burn site with your hands and do not try to get rid of the remaining tentacles of the jellyfish with your fingers.
4. A guide for seafarers developed by WHO advises applying shaving cream to the affected area to remove unopened nematocytes from the surface of the skin.
   
   
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5. After a few minutes, it is necessary to remove the cream, and with it the remaining poisonous cells with a spoon, a plastic card, a razor, a thin metal nail file. This procedure is unpleasant, but it will help to minimize the amount of poison entering the blood.
6. To relieve symptoms, you can place the affected part of the body in a container of hot water (40 ° C) and drink a painkiller.
   
   
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7. Although the Network is full of such recommendations, but we strongly do not recommend applying vinegar, alcohol or urine to the burn site, as our grandmothers did. On the contrary, the use of these substances provokes nematocytes to throw even more poison into the blood, which will significantly worsen the situation of the victim.
8. After providing first aid for severe burns, you should consult a specialist, because some types of jellyfish can be very dangerous, and burns from them can cause serious complications.
   
   
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Interestingly, most often children and adults of small weight suffer from contact with jellyfish, but bathers in the body, on the contrary, almost never get ill-fated burns.

To avoid an unpleasant encounter with jellyfish, do not swim in a storm, learn yourself and teach loved ones to provide first aid for burns, and going on a trip to the outlandish beaches of exotic countries, be sure to arm yourself with information about local marine or oceanic inhabitants and the possible consequences of contact with them.



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Even if meeting with a jellyfish during a summer vacation is not included in your plans, do not forget that gentle waves are fraught with many dangers. Follow our simple tips to avoid the painful consequences of contact with jellyfish, and if you or your loved ones still received an unpleasant burn, learn to provide effective first aid.

Be sure to share this useful article with your friends! Let me. jellyfish Do not spoil the long-awaited vacation neither you nor your loved ones.