It’s a sad story: in Australia, a 14-year-old child was bitten by one of the deadly box jellyfish while visiting the beach with his family and died a short time later in the hospital. The incident took place near Mackay in northeastern Australia.
Mark Ligmayo stood in waist-deep water when he was caught in the trap of a dangerous beast. He was in the water for about 10 minutes when he ran back to his family on the beach – his arms and legs were covered in a net more than two meters long from jellyfish, his father Nick Guinumtad told local newspaper The Courier Mail. Told.
the lifeguards couldn’t do anything
Though lifeguards rushed to help the 14-year-old, they could not save his life. “It is hard to see your son fighting this,” Ginumtad was quoted as saying in the newspaper. “It’s hard to watch your son die before your eyes.” Especially sad: The 14-year-old had recently moved to Australia from the Philippines, where his father got a job.
Venomous snakes and spiders, a venomous mammal and dangerous squid, mussels, fish and jellyfish – Australia is a continent of poisons. Despite this, deaths are relatively rare. While the population is well aware, warning signs in many places provide information about potential dangers. On the other hand, antidote is now available for most stings and bites. Australian researchers have now also developed an antitoxin against the sting of the world’s most venomous jellyfish, the box jellyfish.
Jellyfish venom stops heart rate incredibly quickly
The fact that people keep dying is due to the jellyfish’s extremely potent venom, which causes heart failure and death incredibly quickly, especially when a large number of nets are wrapped around body parts. As was the case with the 14-year-old. ,
Indeed, help came quickly, as Surf Life Saving Queensland spokeswoman Jenny Rees confirmed to Australian broadcaster ABC. Lifeguards dismantled several tentacles around the boy’s legs with about 30 liters of vinegar. The vinegar stops the tentacles from releasing any more poison into the body. Resuscitation measures were also started immediately. But all the efforts went in vain. The boy’s death was the second incident within a year: a 17-year-old boy died of a box jellyfish bite in February 2021.
Jellyfish researcher calls for more security measures
The death of the teenager deeply saddened Lisa-Ann Gershwin, the lead researcher of jellyfish. He called for further tightening of security measures. “People who are not wearing protective swimwear should not be allowed to swim between flags,” he wrote in a comment on Facebook. “Whoever floats outside the flags, God help him.”
In the warm waters of northern Australia, jellyfish pose the greatest threat to humans, along with saltwater crocodiles. Also known as the sea wasp or Chironex fleckeri, box jellyfish are large and transparent. It has a bell-shaped body and 60 tentacles up to three meters long and weighs up to six kilos. When touched, the stinging cell fires venom into the bodies of its prey, usually small crustaceans and fish. The cells are small capsules that release a poisonous nettle tube when a “sensor” touches the hair. The venom enters the victim’s body almost explosively – within a few milliseconds.
pain like red hot iron
The pain caused by a box jellyfish sting is said to be excruciating. Victims compare it to a lit cigarette or a red-hot iron on the skin. The infamous box jellyfish, as the jellyfish is called in English, is considered the most venomous inhabitant of the oceans. The venom of one jellyfish can kill 60 people.
If people are infected, immediate action should be taken as the venom attacks the heart, nervous system and skin. There are lash-like red lines that can later leave dark marks. Touching a jellyfish can kill you within minutes.
Vinegar and warm water as first aid
Vinegar and hot water are considered first aid measures. A first antidote is on the market since the 1970s, but 2019 saw an even more significant breakthrough: Scientists at the University of Sydney discovered an antidote that largely blocks the symptoms of a sting as long as it stays on the skin. Applies within fifteen. minutes. In April last year, an antidote saved the life of a woman in Townsville when she too was bitten by a deadly jellyfish.
