Quite often, the long-awaited vacation on the seashore can be radically ruined by a “close acquaintance” with a jellyfish, which can be burned completely by accident. Indeed, in sea waves it is difficult to notice an animal consisting of 98% of water. What to do if a jellyfish stings? Let's talk about this in the article.
Description
The animal has no lungs, heart, or other habitual organs; characterized by an umbrella-shaped body with tentacles at the edges and mouth, located on a special stalk and also surrounded by tentacles dotted with stinging cells. Each of them has knidocysts with toxic content. In contact with the victim or enemy, the object is punctured with spikes of a knidocyte, lightning sticking into the body of a stinging thread and injection of a poisonous substance of nerve action inside the tissue. Stinging cells are used only once, after which the animal's body produces new ones.
Better to prevent
What to do if a jellyfish stings? First, remember that an invertebrate marine animal with a gelatinous body will never attack a person first. When going on vacation, it is advisable to ask in advance about the availability, number and degree of danger of jellyfish in the planned region of stay. This will allow you to develop the right line of behavior in the event of a collision with a marine inhabitant. It is possible to prevent a jellyfish bite if:
- avoid swimming in places with their high numbers;
- with close detection, try to move as far away as possible and stay at a distance. When calm, the animal does not eject tentacles;
- in no case touch the sea dweller, even if at first glance it seems safe and attractive. It should be remembered that even a dead jellyfish can sting painfully;
- do not go barefoot to places where the animal or fragments of tentacles can be thrown out by the waves;
- in an area with a high concentration of jellyfish, swim only in protective equipment using a mask, wetsuit, fins and gloves;
- do not take alcohol on the beach: alcohol helps to weaken the reaction and worsen well-being after a burn;
- Before bathing, it is recommended to apply certain lotions to the skin, which, when mixed with sunscreen, protect the jellyfish from burns for an hour.
Very dangerous
Often with a harmless appearance, the jellyfish is a real threat to human health, and in some cases to his life. The most deplorable consequences may have a meeting with cubomedusa (otherwise - sea wasp). The bite of a jellyfish - such a beautiful, graceful creature with a small dome and thin long tentacles - is accompanied by incredibly severe pain and often causes a fatal outcome that occurs literally within 2-3 minutes.
Even with an accidental touch of the tentacles on the human body, the latter immediately begins to suffocate and feels unbearable pain, and red stripes from the burns remain on the body. Cubomedusa lives in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
About the Black Sea representatives
Less dangerous are the jellyfish that live in the Black and Azov Seas. Aurelia - one of the most common jellyfish in the seas of the oceans, is considered the most beautiful inhabitant of the sea waters and is characterized by a translucent body with blue and violet-pink tints. The round dome, reaching a diameter of 40 cm, looks like a flattened umbrella, from the outside of which horseshoe-shaped spots are clearly visible, which are the sex glands of the aurelia.
Numerous tentacles hanging in the form of a fringe are located around the circumference of the dome and move rhythmically when moving the jellyfish. On the underside of the dome is a 4-angle mouth opening surrounded by long lobes associated in shape with donkey ears. It is precisely for this feature that the people call Aurelia "eared jellyfish". The poison of the Black Sea inhabitants can cause a small burn, without presenting a special threat to the body. A little later we will answer the question: if a jellyfish stung, what should I do?
The Black Sea is also rich in kornerotami - large jellyfish, preferring existence at a shallow depth. Outwardly pretty enough, such creatures in contact with humans can cause severe burns in the latter.
In the waters of the Mediterranean Sea live more dangerous jellyfish, which sting stronger than the Black Sea "colleagues." Pelagia is a medium-sized jellyfish with an umbrella diameter of not more than 12 cm. However, its small size is more than compensated by the strength of allergic reactions and pain during burns.
Also, a hairy
jellyfish of cyaney and chryazor (sea nettle) is capable of seriously damaging human health. If a jellyfish stings in the Mediterranean, you should immediately contact your nearest medical institution for qualified help. After all, the consequences can be sad.
Stung jellyfish: symptoms
What are the signs of a jellyfish burn? Contact with sea creatures is always fraught with a feeling of pain, similar to the bite of several wasps, as well as the appearance of:
- burning
- redness
- itching
- puffiness,
- burn bubbling,
- numbness
- nausea and vomiting
- muscle cramps
- pain in the lower back.
Stung jellyfish: consequences
In some cases, an allergic reaction may develop, accompanied by increased pressure, the appearance of cough and shortness of breath, as well as a feeling of pain in the eyes. Often, these symptoms are due to the continuation of the toxic effects of the stitch-like structure of stinging cells remaining on the skin.
Severe consequences of a jellyfish bite can be:
- dizziness, shortness of breath, light-headedness;
- growing pain;
- the bite zone covers a large half of the leg, arms, part of the body, face.
If the affected person has a weakened immune system, is prone to allergic reactions, or is intoxicated, he may simply not swim to the shore.
What can not be done with a bite of a jellyfish
What to do if a jellyfish stings? In order to avoid negative consequences for your own health, first of all, you should know what is unacceptable to do:
- You can not water the affected area with fresh water, which can spread poison throughout the body and release toxins.
- It is not recommended to touch the affected part of the body with bare hands, as particles of jellyfish with poisonous cells could remain on it.
- You do not need to rub the stung place with sharp objects to avoid even more injury to the skin and squeezing a new portion of the venom from the knidocyst.
- You should not take alcohol to relieve pain, since the drink can enhance the effect of the poison.
First aid
What to do if a jellyfish stings?
- First of all, keeping a clear mind and calm, you need to get out of the water, sit in the shade and get rid of fragments of tentacles, if any remained on the body. In the process of purification, complete immobility should be maintained. Any movement provokes the instant spread of poison throughout the body. In order to avoid new burns, never touch the wound with bare hands.
- Using any blunt object (the back of a knife, sliver, credit card, dry sand) requires trying to get rid of stinging cells on the skin.
- Wash the bite site with a solution of soda or salt water.
- You can neutralize the poison and remove toxins by applying a bandage or gauze soaked in ammonia or table vinegar to the affected area. In their absence, it is recommended to use vegetable oil or sugar solution as an analogue. Of folk methods, a slice of tomato will have a positive effect.
- To ease pain, a cold should be applied to the bite site, and then a dry dressing should be applied.
- Remove pain with a gel or cream with hydrocortisone in the composition. “Fenistil-gel” and “Psilo-balm” possess antihistamine and anti-inflammatory action.
- When bitten by a jellyfish, it is recommended that you drink a lot.
- You should promptly contact any medical institution for qualified help, especially if dangerous symptoms appear: convulsions, shortness of breath, fever.
Traditional medicine to help
If a jellyfish stung, treatment can be done in folk ways. One of the proven ones is the use of home-made pasta from baking soda and salt water, which should be mixed to a thick sticky mixture. Then, the obtained product must be applied to the affected area of the skin, allowed to dry, and then slowly clean the bite site. This procedure, accompanied by some discomfort, will cause deep cleansing of damaged skin cells.