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How to treat a jellyfish burn?

Close contact with such an inhabitant of the deep-sea world as a jellyfish can cause trouble, sometimes ending in death, if a particularly poisonous individual is caught. Jellyfish do not hunt humans, but this does not mean that they do not reflect the "attack" of a person who wants to take a closer look and take a closer look at the outlandish creature. A person cannot independently determine what type of jellyfish he encounters, unless, of course, jellyfish is not his hobby.

Jellyfish can look very harmless and even attractive from the point of view of unearthly beauty, but approaching them is fraught, at best, with a harmless burn, at worst, with lightning death. Particularly dangerous species of jellyfish are found in the coastal areas of Australia, South America and Southeast Asia. The Black Sea and Mediterranean coastal waters are not rich in deadly species of jellyfish, but those that swim in these waters can give a person big trouble if the person is allergic, child or elderly. Stung even by a non-lethal jellyfish, a person can experience severe painful sensations up to the development of painful shock. This pain syndrome is especially dangerous for young children and the elderly.

What if the jellyfish burned, despite all the precautions?

Firstly, it is necessary to get out of the water, even if the effect of the burn is not too noticeable, because allergic reactions are dangerous because they can build up gradually, and neurotoxins act in a matter of seconds - you may not have time to tell loved ones (or those around) people what happened, but the salvation of life will depend on it. The burn of a deadly jellyfish within a few seconds can cause paralysis of the body, respiratory function and death. If you feel numbness in parts of the body, stiffness in the body, loss of speech, lightning-fast hospitalization is necessary. If the reasons for poor health are not clear, it is necessary to examine the skin - a jellyfish burn leaves noticeable swollen stripes.
Secondly, if after a burn the general state of health is disturbed: blood pressure changes, heart rate (pulse) increases or slows down, dizziness, nausea, myalgia appear , you should immediately seek help from the nearest medical institution.
Thirdly, it is necessary to wash the wounded place with sea water, try to scrape off the remnants of the tentacles from the surface of the skin, without touching them with your hands, only with such an object that you will not use in the future, because the remnants of stinging cells from the tentacles of the jellyfish can be spread to other areas of the skin, accidentally bring it into your eyes. It is not recommended to use fresh water for washing, as it destroys the shell of stinging cells and makes it possible for the next portion of the poison to get on the skin.
Fourthly, the inflamed area can only be cooled with ice, but in no case should it be lubricated with alcohol-containing substances, as well as aniline dyes, creams, oils. Hydrocortisone, olazol can help to relieve inflammation. The burn must be covered until it heals with sterile dressings. You can treat jellyfish burns that are not dangerous in terms of symptoms on your own. It is enough to remove the swelling with the aforementioned means and to protect the burn site from infection.

Particularly dangerous types of jellyfish:

Medusa Gonionemus vertens (Clinging jellyfish) - a burn of this jellyfish first causes a pain symptom, then a drop in muscle tone and respiratory arrest. Symptoms can develop over several days, causing pain in the limbs, lumbar spine, visual impairment, hearing impairment, hallucinations, and delusions.

Cubomedusa (Sea wasp) - moves quickly and changes the direction of swimming, leaves rough scars after a burn, the moment of a burn causes terrible pain and death occurs from intoxication in 1-2 minutes. There is a vaccine against the toxin of this jellyfish, but it must be administered to the victim in time. Most people, as a rule, die before they can get ashore.

Irukandji - a small jellyfish with a dome size of about 3 cm and a length of tentacles from 10 cm to a meter. Jellyfish venom has a neurotoxic effect (delayed) and causes paralysis of muscle tissue. Symptoms develop during the day and cause unbearable pain in the muscles, in the abdomen, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, dizziness, and vomiting.

Siphonophore of physalia (“Portuguese man o' war”, “Floating terror”) is a colony of jellyfish-like coelenterates, existing under a common dome, with which it moves. The poison of the Portuguese boat has a paralytic effect.