Krabi Public Health Have Not Confirmed Recent Case Of Box Jellyfish, But Keep A Close Monitor With Advice For Swimmers.

[NBT TV Phuket]

item –5--- on VDO at

http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/prev...hp?news_id=1030 or

Krabi Deputy Chief Doctor Bancha Kahkhong insisted that he had received no reports of patients seeking treatment from exposure to box jellyfish. Dr. Bancha made the statement after media reports that tourists spotted jellyfish of pink and orange colour near Mai Pai and Phi Phi Don islands in Krabi and they suspected that they might be box jellyfish. He said health officials had warned visitors not to touch the unidentified species of jellyfish recently found there. The officials however continue to monitor the situation. Tourist photos of the jellyfish indicated they were not the usual clear or white color. Tourism operators in the area had been advised to take special precautions, and to prepare first-aid items to treat any stings. Anyone who is stung by jellyfish is advised to use a flat, smooth card to scrape the skin at the site of the infection and rinse with seawater, not freshwater, before seeing a doctor immediately. Vinegar is also suggested to relieve the pain. Dr Somchai Bussarawit, of the Phuket Marine & Biological Centre, told Andaman News that the tourists’ photos did not help identify the type and now they have disappeared from the site. Meanwhile in Phuket’s Nam Bor Bay on the east coast, he recently found another type of deadly box jellyfish species named Tripedalia cestophora. The previous species, Chiropsoides buitendejki, are still found at the same site, but no where else in this region.

Andaman News NBT TV (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 7pm & 1am, & new channel on KPP cable TV, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & maybe Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Wednesday 25 March 2009 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ & www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews

[fountainhall]

Tourism operators in the area had been advised to take special precautions, and to prepare first-aid items to treat any stings

Thai newspapers have been downplaying the advent of box jellyfish for almost a year now, and in that time two tourists have died. A lengthy report in Hong Kong's main newspaper a few months ago told of 100 of the jellyfish being caught in fishermen's nets. It then speculated that if 100 were caught, how many thousands got away! It's beginning to sound scary.

[stingertale]

Have just seen this & warn everyone DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE ON TREATING A BOX JELLYFISH STING offered in this article!!

Not sure if this is the advice of the good doctor or TV station but the following is wrong and dangerous "Tourism operators in the area had been advised to take special precautions, and to prepare first-aid items to treat any stings. Anyone who is stung by jellyfish is advised to use a flat, smooth card to scrape the skin at the site of the infection and rinse with seawater, not freshwater, before seeing a doctor immediately. Vinegar is also suggested to relieve the pain."

If this has been forwarded to tour operators in the area then God help the next box jellyfish victim left at their mercy.

Note that scraping the sting with a card or sand will fire the stinging cells or nematocysts on the tentacles and inject more venom into the victim - this will most certainly kill the victim.

Here is what to do:

1. Check the area as best as possible to ensure safety of rescuer

2. Check vital signs and perform CPR if necessary

3. Splash household vinegar on the stings for at least 30 seconds (this immediately stops the nematocysts from firing but does not relieve the pain)

4. Seek medical assistance (preferrably not that from the good doctor!)

While we are at, tripedelia cystophora is not deadly at all, it is a box jellyfish but it is harmless.

[NBT TV Phuket]

We quoted the doctor's advice in above article, but a recent seminar gave more useful advice & info:

VDO-Special report about Public seminar on venomous Jellyfish held at Le Meridien Phuket Resort, 4 April

http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/prev...hp?news_id=1056

or

A free public seminar on Box Jellyfish Safety was held on Saturday, 4 April with two main speakers, talking to about 50-60 people, at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort in Karon. The first speaker was Andrew Jones, a Australian journalist, who talked about a dramatic account of the experience when his son Lewis was stung by a jellyfish last year at Ko Mak, Trat in the Gulf of Thailand, about three months before a Swedish girl, Moa Bergman’s fatal case at ko Lanta in Krabi about a year ago. Andrew explained more about how Thai people helped his son recover, using morning glory vegetable to relieve the sting, and showed some tips on treatment:

He told Andaman News later that he did not know it was a box jellyfish that stung his son until he consulted experts in Australia who specialize in the area of box jellyfish. The injuries sustained and symptoms including heart attack and breathing stopping in a perfectly healthy child was evidence and statement enough as there is no other jellyfish known on the planet that can do this and allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock from jellyfish stings are unheard of in medical science. Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin, an American and internationally-renowned natural scientist and Curator of Natural Science at Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Tasmania in Australia, also spoke about her extensive knowledge on the deadly box jellyfish and other non-deadly even beautiful looking jellyfish, but stressing safety and education, as practiced in Australia. First she introduced herself:

Dr Somchai Bussarwait, the Chief of Reference Collection and Phuket Aquarium, told Andaman News after the seminar that more sightings of box jellyfish or the much smaller and rarer Irukandjis, have been seen in Samut Songkram in the Gulf, and possibly near Satun in the Andaman Sea, in addition to the ones at Ao Nam Bor on the east coast mangrove area of Phuket, showing the need for more research & seminars like this. He also said Dr Lisa is making a proposal to fund some research in Thailand, and for officers to go to Australia to learn more ideas on how to deal with jellyfish. In the meantime, he suggests people buy vinegar to take to the beaches just in the rare case anyone needs it. The Aquarium at Cape Panwa and the Phuket governor’s office have given 400 beach operators and tourism staff both vinegar from Golden Mountain Company and training on how to treat stings. The long public seminar in English and Thai, had lots of information and advice. If you missed it, and want to learn more about jellyfish and how to avoid stings or how to treat them, you can contact Dr Somchai by email at [email protected] or telephone 076-391126 or fax 076 391406

Special Report Andaman News NBT (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 7pm & 1am, TVPhuket channel on KPP cable TV, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Thursday 9 April 2009 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/

& www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews.com

[waterworks]

yes two tourist deaths are bad....

and yes (before people slate me for being a cold-hearted idiot) losing life at ANY time is awful...

BUT!!!!

considering the number of tourist deaths per year that are caused by alternative means in Thailand - be it the knife, the motorbike, the drink etc.... then maybe it's best for the tourism industry in general if these jellyfish stories do remain hush-hush.....

don't get me wrong..... I'm a warm, loving individual (who doesn't work in tourism, but has many friends who do) - but I also feel that the type of blind panic that these types of irresponsible ramblings can produce is often far greater than is necessary....

if NBTTV was a proud citizen who truly cared about the state of Thailand in general, then he / she would have kept quiet about the story as opposed to leaping on it and trying to garner extra points by getting everyone to log on and provide more hits on their website.....

[huggybear]

yes two tourist deaths are bad....

and yes (before people slate me for being a cold-hearted idiot) losing life at ANY time is awful...

BUT!!!!

considering the number of tourist deaths per year that are caused by alternative means in Thailand - be it the knife, the motorbike, the drink etc.... then maybe it's best for the tourism industry in general if these jellyfish stories do remain hush-hush.....

don't get me wrong..... I'm a warm, loving individual (who doesn't work in tourism, but has many friends who do) - but I also feel that the type of blind panic that these types of irresponsible ramblings can produce is often far greater than is necessary....

if NBTTV was a proud citizen who truly cared about the state of Thailand in general, then he / she would have kept quiet about the story as opposed to leaping on it and trying to garner extra points by getting everyone to log on and provide more hits on their website.....

Good post, I agree.

In Phuket they have found these in the murky waters by mangroves where nobody swims..........

Jet ski accidents? Boating accidents? Why when they publish these "box jellyfish deaths" they do not say "compared though to so many motorbike deaths these still remain insignificant". or something like that anyways.......

[stingertale]

yes two tourist deaths are bad....

and yes (before people slate me for being a cold-hearted idiot) losing life at ANY time is awful...

BUT!!!!

considering the number of tourist deaths per year that are caused by alternative means in Thailand - be it the knife, the motorbike, the drink etc.... then maybe it's best for the tourism industry in general if these jellyfish stories do remain hush-hush.....

don't get me wrong..... I'm a warm, loving individual (who doesn't work in tourism, but has many friends who do) - but I also feel that the type of blind panic that these types of irresponsible ramblings can produce is often far greater than is necessary....

if NBTTV was a proud citizen who truly cared about the state of Thailand in general, then he / she would have kept quiet about the story as opposed to leaping on it and trying to garner extra points by getting everyone to log on and provide more hits on their website.....

Good post, I agree.

In Phuket they have found these in the murky waters by mangroves where nobody swims..........

Jet ski accidents? Boating accidents? Why when they publish these "box jellyfish deaths" they do not say "compared though to so many motorbike deaths these still remain insignificant". or something like that anyways.......

Obviously I don't have enough time to read all threads and posts and opinions about this issue of box jellyfish and these last 2 posts passed me by at the time. I cannot however let Waterworks and his/her chum Huggybear have the last say on this thread with such cold, calculated, insensitive and misguided sentiments.

"Before people slate me..." "But..." Don't get me wrong..." "I'm a warm, loving individual" my eye! Your point about keeping this "hush hush" for the greater good of Thailand is pure ignorance and inexcusable to say the least. Anyone who views a problem in terms of the number of victims is IMO a sad, sad individual lacking compassion who has no idea about the bigger picture. Anyone who blindly agrees and treats deaths v deaths like it were a football match is even more irrelevant.

And let's get one thing straight, this box jellyfish issue has only recently been acknowledged as a potential problem in Thailand. Like so many issues around the world that have just been discovered, there is certain to be a level of ignorance and misinformation that will settle as the facts shine through and people learn more about the problem, how to cope, what to do. While there has been lots of activity on this subject from the media I'm not aware of 'blind panic' and 'irresponsible ramblings' except in your posts.

Waterworks and Huggybear, hypothetical: a family member or friend of yours is stung and killed by a box jellyfish - unlikley but possible - would you sweep it under the carpet? Think of the damage you might cause the tourism industry and quickly move on? Ahhh, ignorance is bliss eh?

Thankfully the Thai and Australian governments have not listened to the word of Waterworks and Huggybear and recognise that box jellyfish do pose a risk to anyone in the water and the tourism industry and have invested in a research program to determine the scale of the problem, produce meaningful data and create a prevention/treatment system that will ensure that Thailand's coast is safer for all for a long time to come. This will hopefully save some lives, maybe yours, and as data suggests that the jellyfish problem is increasing worldwide, hopefully ensure that tourists will continue to see Thailand as an attractive holiday destination. Long term, this has to be good for tourism.