Dr Thon offers tips on how to protect oneself from box jellyfish attacks

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Dr Thon offers tips on how to protect oneself from box jellyfish attacks



BANGKOK: -- A marine scientist has offered some tips on how to protect oneself from attacks by box jellyfish and how to apply fires aid in case of attacks by the marine creatures in wake of a tourist who succumbed to her death from attacks by box jellyfish in Koh Pha-ngan, Surat Thani.

In a message posted in his Facebook page Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, vice dean of the faculty of fisheries of Kasetsart University, said that box jellyfish was common in the Andaman Sea but more in the Gulf especially along the coasts and in shallow water where people swim. The creatures are more widespread during the rainy season and they usually are under the water.

Box jellyfish is small, transparent and move quickly which can explain why they cannot be easily detected.

Dr Thon’s basic advice is to refrain from swimming in the sea during the rainy season and if it is resistible swim where there are waves and to cover oneself with body swimsuit or stinger suit which is very expensive.

Once attacked by a box jellyfish, shout for help and do not wave away the creatures with your hands which will result to more contacts with the creatures’ tentacles. Walk slowly out of the spot where one was attacked and head for the beach as quickly as possible.

Check the wounds to see if they look like burns, then rush to the nearest hospital quickly. But while waiting to be sent to a hospital, splash water on the body or limbs where they were attacked with sea water until the poisonous stings are removed.

Do not apply fresh water, urine, alcohol or liquor to the areas attacked by the creatures as the poison will spread and worsen.

If the poisonous stings are removed, the pains will subside in 5-10 minutes after which apply ice on the wounds. Serious symptoms normally happen during the first ten minutes after an attack after which there is little chance of death, said Dr Thon.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/dr-thon-offers-tips-on-how-to-protect-oneself-from-box-jellyfish-attacks

-- Thai PBS 2015-08-03

[lostinisaan]

The creatures are more widespread during the rainy season and they usually are under the water

​ Usually under the water sounds great. Guess there's only one "creature" who can walk on water...

[longstebe]

Thought the arl vinegar thing worked, or is that a myth?

[doremifasol]

Good to Know., thanks for the tips.

[limbos]

Vinegar will work, it won't reduce pain or heal, but it will stop active stingers from shooting off and adding more poison to the wounds.

No too sure about applying ice to the wounds though, never heard of this.

Remove the stingers with gloves, which you most likely won't have, so use credit cards or similar utensils instead. Don't make direct contact with the stingers on somebody's body.

[trogers]

The gulf. There goes swimming from Bang Saen to Trat...

[BigBadGeordie]

Dr Thon, vice dean, faculty of fisheries, Kasetsart University basic advice is to refrain from swimming, no shit!

[HeijoshinCool]

Vinegar will work, it won't reduce pain or heal, but it will stop active stingers from shooting off and adding more poison to the wounds.

No too sure about applying ice to the wounds though, never heard of this.

Remove the stingers with gloves, which you most likely won't have, so use credit cards or similar utensils instead. Don't make direct contact with the stingers on somebody's body.

.

In fact, one study showed vinegar stimulates the release of the toxin from the nematocysts.

Ice is, like you suspected, worthless. It's also dangerous, as the cold contracts the nematocysts, squeezing out more venom.

It's not really a jellyfish, either.

Great job, Dr. Thon.

[limbos]

The study you refer to is highly controversial among box jelly fish experts and current advice is still to use vinegar.

[upena]

Google - Hawaii box jellyfish - and see how, years ago, the lifeguards figured out when they come based on the moon and tides and publish a calendar indicating when to stay out of the water

[geriatrickid]

A more efficient solution would be to stop overfishing the offshore waters. Sharks and especially sea turtles eat jellyfish. Unfortunately trying to explain natural predation as a means of controlling pests is not something Thais understand.

[Oziex1]

Probably the only real prevention for the problem.

Swimming enclosure net at Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia.

[AlQaholic]

Thought the arl vinegar thing worked, or is that a myth?

Yes, strange he did not mention vinegar....vinegar helps to slow down the release of toxins as do salt water, but vinegar works better. Never put fresh water on the burns, fresh water will speed up the release of toxins.

[Artisi]

Probably the only real prevention for the problem.

Pt Douglas_.jpg

Swimming enclosure net at Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia.

Nah, wouldn't work, it only keeps out farang box jellyfish and anyway Thai box jellyfish hunt you down, "........how to protect oneself from box jellyfish attacks"

[cumgranosalum]

It would seem the advice is incomplete and may een be misleading....but why doesn't that surprise me?

THerte is no metion of vinegar or howwhen to remove th tentcles....i have a contact on this....I'll check on the latest.

it also looks s if the translation was inaccurate or incomplete.

[worgeordie]

Ladies nylon pantie hose on arms and legs would give some protection,

but I don't suppose many would be brave enough,you would get some

queer looks.

regards Worgeordie

[mikemac]

The net they use at Port Douglas will not stop a hungry croc or shark !

[Bakseeda]

The creatures are more widespread during the rainy season and they usually are under the water

​ Usually under the water sounds great. Guess there's only one "creature" who can walk on water...

Yes , but we cannot talk of him here......

[jerome2]

I think its a april joke in august

[Pistol101]

Here are 4 pages well worth the read.

The first page and last paragraph especially.

http://www.marine-medic.com.au/pages/articles/pdf/article_j11.pdf

The study is a little old but the vinegar treatment for the appropriate sting is still valid according to Surf Life Saving Australia and St. John Ambulance Australia (considered reputable authority on the topic)

https://sls.com.au/news/slsa-reinforces-vinegar-best-practice-treatment-marine-stingers

https://www.stjohnqld.com.au/News-And-Media/Media-Releases/2015/April/Changes-to-first-aid-treatment-for-jellyfish

a good video showing the effects of a jellyfish sting down under.

http://www.beachsafe.org.au/surf-ed/tropical-stingers

[JimHuaHin]

Vinegar will work, it won't reduce pain or heal, but it will stop active stingers from shooting off and adding more poison to the wounds.

No too sure about applying ice to the wounds though, never heard of this.

Remove the stingers with gloves, which you most likely won't have, so use credit cards or similar utensils instead. Don't make direct contact with the stingers on somebody's body.

.

In fact, one study showed vinegar stimulates the release of the toxin from the nematocysts.

Ice is, like you suspected, worthless. It's also dangerous, as the cold contracts the nematocysts, squeezing out more venom.

It's not really a jellyfish, either.

Great job, Dr. Thon.

I have found that applying hydrocortisone helps relive the pain and swelling.

[cumgranosalum]

Box jellies spawn in estuaries so the extra water would wash them out to sea?

Unlike "true" jellyfish they are able to "see" and being strong swimmers can follow or "pursue" prey.

If you wear a stinger suit or rash vest you can give your self protection as will ladies "panty-hose" it prevents the stinging apparatus of the tentacles penetrating the skin.

[impulse]

Dr Thon, vice dean, faculty of fisheries, Kasetsart University basic advice is to refrain from swimming, no shit!

Sometimes the best advice isn't what we want to hear.

But it's simple and 100% effective.

[rijb]

This explains the need for submarines.

[cumgranosalum]

Vinegar will work, it won't reduce pain or heal, but it will stop active stingers from shooting off and adding more poison to the wounds.

No too sure about applying ice to the wounds though, never heard of this.

Remove the stingers with gloves, which you most likely won't have, so use credit cards or similar utensils instead. Don't make direct contact with the stingers on somebody's body.

.

In fact, one study showed vinegar stimulates the release of the toxin from the nematocysts.

Ice is, like you suspected, worthless. It's also dangerous, as the cold contracts the nematocysts, squeezing out more venom.

It's not really a jellyfish, either.

Great job, Dr. Thon.

Yes - correct - that study was poo-poo-ed by many at the time but I haven't heard what happened after. It certainly would involve a serious re-think about the vinegar. But until the tests are repeated most orgs are sticking with the "vinegar" method. It is not to ease pain but to prevent further envenomation from the tentacles.

[Tomtomtom69]

Box jellyfish are amongst the deadliest creatures known to man. I had always wondered why there was only ever a mention about them being present in parts of coastal northern Australia, to the point that especially during the summer wet season most beaches north of about Broome in Western Australia all the way down to roughly the Tropic of Capricorn coast on the east coast near Rockhampton was off-limits to swimmers.

And strangely I always wondered why one could still swim in most of nearby Indonesia and that the box jellyfish wouldn't migrate there? Or was it a case of differences in wildlife protection? Or different attitudes towards protecting people (e.g. in Indonesia they don't care if you get stung so it's up to you to take the risk, whereas in Australia you are obliged to follow the directions of the authorities).

Then I started hearing about box jellyfish being a problem in Hawaii, for example at the famous Waikiki beach. Yet most of the time, it seems safe to swim there. Because one does not hear about the presence of box jellyfish safety nets there.

Or is the threat of box jellyfish so much greater in northern Australian waters than in Hawaii that can explain that?

Now for the first time ever, I am reading that in fact, box jellyfish are present in Thai waters. Yet one doesn't hear much news of deaths, which you would normally expect in a developing country to be far greater than in a developed country like Australia. Not to mention the relatively large population that lives along the coast of affected Thai waters.

Case in point - a species of cobra snake of only moderate toxicity is found in Myanmar (and Thailand) and is the cause of dozens of deaths annually, particularly amongst rice planters during the monsoon season. Yet the far more deadlier fierce snake found in parts of the south-eastern deserts of Australia has not caused one human fatality to date, largely due to the distribution of that snake being outside of human population areas. The poor ambulance system coupled with rural poverty and lack of anti-venom are perhaps the principal reasons behind the spate of deaths that occur in Myanmar due to the bite of this cobra annually, compared to the west, where these are not issues.

The box jellyfish I believe has caused around 70 deaths in Australia to date, since the early 1900s. Why does one not hear about hundreds of deaths in that time, in Thailand? Or is it simply a case of the statistics not being publicly available? Please if someone has statistics for box jellyfish fatalities in Thailand, as well as the overall prevelance in Thai waters I'd like to see it. Articles can also be in Thai (I am fluent in Thai).

[mojorison]

A more efficient solution would be to stop overfishing the offshore waters. Sharks and especially sea turtles eat jellyfish. Unfortuatelyrying to explain natural predation as a means of controlling pests is not something Thais understand.

No that's not true. Obviously the gulf is virtually devoid of fish, but the issue of stingers and fish eatin' em is not relevant. Stingers exist.

[ICECOOL]

A lot of the confusion around this is because of the different species. However vinegar seems to be the most effective and ice seems to be ok for minor stings to relieve pain and if there are no stingers. First advice is best...don't swim and if you do wear a stinger suit but I cannot see either of those bits of advice being followed here in Thailand by Tourists or locals.

[Jimlove]

Dr Thon’s basic advice is to refrain from swimming in the sea during the rainy season and if it is resistible swim where there are waves and to cover oneself with body swimsuit or stinger suit which is very expensive.

Thats Dr. Thon´s advice .... Thanks for nothing

Put up some signs in English, Chinese etc. to warn people but of course that would hurt the wallet so no signs I guess

[Basil B]

Just to add some extra reading for you...

I suspect this topic is in response to the unfortunate death of a 31 year old Thai lady who died on Koh Phangan the other day... (Koh Samui News forum) http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/845146-box-jellyfish-sting-kills-woman-in-koh-pha-ngan/

Also there is a long running topic on Jellyfish stings (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao Forum) http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/220824-jellyfish-stings/