Illness & Symptoms

Jellyfish Sting

Sting from a jellyfish
Jellyfish cause most of the stings that occur in sea water
The creature's stingers inject venom into the human skin. This is what causes the symptoms.
The main symptoms are pain, burning and redness at the sting site. Red lines are common.

They are umbrella shaped, clear sea creatures with long trailing tentacles. They move slowly through the water by pulsing the upper body. Also carried by ocean currents. Their tentacles can be 10 feet or longer.
Other Names. Jellies or sea jellies. Large groups of jellies are called a bloom. Blooms can close beaches.
Where They Live. Found in every ocean and coastline.
Numbers. Jellies have increased in numbers worldwide. Warmer ocean temps and pollution of ocean waters are factors. Fishing the ocean too much is also a cause. Tuna, shark and swordfish eat jellies.
Stings can occur while wading, swimming or diving in salt water. Honolulu gets over 1000 911 calls per month for stings.
Beached Jellies. Even beached or dying jellies can sting. So can pieces of tentacles floating in the water. They can release venom for up to 2 weeks.
Prevention. Mainly do not go in the water where jellies are seen. Wearing a thin layer of clothing (such as pantyhose) also can protect you. Reason: the stingers are short and cannot puncture clothing. Special "stinger suits" can be bought in diving stores.

Local Reactions are most common. Symptoms are raised, red lines that cross each other. The sting causes pain or burning at the site. Sometimes hives in the sting area occur. Blisters can occur in severe cases. Severe pain lasts 1-2 hours. Itching may last for a week. If the skin damage is severe, red or purple lines can last for weeks.
General Reactions can occur if there are many stings. More stings give a higher dose of venom. Large venom symptoms are vomiting, dizziness, weakness and headache.
Anaphylaxis(A severe allergic reaction). Life-threatening reactions are very rare with the stings. Most are caused by box jellyfish found in the South Pacific and Australia. The main symptoms are trouble breathing and swallowing, along with hives. It starts rapidly, most often within 20 minutes of the sting.

When to Call for Jellyfish Sting
Call 911 Now Past severe allergic reaction to jellyfish stings (not just hives) and stung less than 2 hours ago Wheezing or trouble breathing Hoarseness, cough or tightness in the throat or chest Trouble swallowing or drooling Speech is slurred Acts or talks confused Passed out (fainted) or too weak to stand You think your child has a life-threatening emergency Call Doctor or Seek Care Now Sting covers a large area (more than 1 arm or leg) Fever and sting looks infected (spreading redness) Jellyfish sting and No past tetanus shots. Note: tetanus is the "T" in DTaP, TdaP, or Td vaccines. Severe pain not improved after 2 hours using care advice Your child looks or acts very sick You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent	Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours Blisters appear More than 48 hours since the sting and redness getting larger Last tetanus shot was more than 10 years ago You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent Contact Doctor During Office Hours Severe itching not better after 24 hours of using steroid cream Redness or rash lasts more than 48 hours You have other questions or concerns	Self Care at Home Jellyfish sting - Normal local reaction

Past severe allergic reaction to jellyfish stings (not just hives) and stung less than 2 hours ago
Wheezing or trouble breathing
Hoarseness, cough or tightness in the throat or chest
Trouble swallowing or drooling
Speech is slurred
Acts or talks confused
Passed out (fainted) or too weak to stand
You think your child has a life-threatening emergency

Sting covers a large area (more than 1 arm or leg)
Fever and sting looks infected (spreading redness)
Jellyfish sting and No past tetanus shots. Note: tetanus is the "T" in DTaP, TdaP, or Td vaccines.
Severe pain not improved after 2 hours using care advice
Your child looks or acts very sick
You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Rinse the area with sea water. This will help remove any tentacles stuck to the skin.
Do not rinse with fresh water (will trigger stingers).
Do not scrub or rub area (will trigger stingers).
Do not use your bare fingers. Reason: you will get stings on your hands.

Scrape off any stingers you can see. Use the edge of a credit card or butter knife.
Stop scraping if this increases the pain.

Apply heat to the painful area. Reason: hot water may break down the venom and relieve the pain.
Place the painful part in a tub of hot water, if possible. For other areas, you can apply a hot washcloth.
Water temperature: hot, but not above 104 F (40 C). This is the usual temperature of hot tubs. Caution: be careful to avoid skin burns.
How long: use heat therapy for 10 to 20 minutes. Stop sooner if the pain improves.
Caution: do not put hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or urine on the painful area. Reason: they do not help and can make it worse.

For itching or swelling, put 1% hydrocortisone cream (such as Cortaid) on the sting.
No prescription is needed.
Use 3 times per day until itching stops.