Lifestyle & Docutainment

How to Behave When Stung by Jellyfish

Quelle: VIDEOELEPHANT (Glomex)

During the summer season, the heat and currents bring jellyfish to the beaches, leading to various incidents. Jellyfish stings usually cause pain, intense itching, redness, and inflammation; however, depending on the type of jellyfish, medical treatment may be more or less urgently needed to save the life of the affected person. To know what to do and not to do when you or someone close to you is stung by a jellyfish, follow these advice: Call the lifeguards in case of a jellyfish sting so they can help you clean the area. The professionals will know what to do because the procedure varies depending on the type of jellyfish that stung you. If you are in an area without emergency services or lifeguards, carefully remove the tentacles with tweezers so you can clean the area. Never use your hands. Then apply warm water to the sting site. According to doctors, the ideal temperature is between 43 and 45 degrees Celsius. If you cannot get hot water, use saline solution or saltwater to clean the area where you or the affected person were stung by the jellyfish. There are many myths about this step that are not really effective or can even worsen the reaction to the jellyfish sting. Avoid rinsing the area with cold water or human urine. Also, do not rub the area with a towel or sand to remove the sting, and do not apply pressure to the area. In the absence of a lifeguard, it is best to thoroughly wash the area with saltwater, never with fresh water, and seek medical treatment at a hospital.