How to treat a jellyfish sting

Sea currents are carrying jellyfish in towards the shore and the unwelcome creatures tend to accumulate in certain areas, conservation biologist Adriana Vella said yesterday.

Unfortunately for bathers, these areas are often popular beaches.

Despite complaints of an infestation of jellyfish, this year's presence was not the highest on record and there had even been a decrease compared to previous years, Dr Vella said.

There are about 10,000 species of jellyfish and they are responsible for the most common human poisoning.

The most common jellyfish found in the Mediterranean are the pelagia noctiluca, commonly known as the purple jellyfish, which may grow up to 10 centimetres in diameter. The thin tentacles on this type of jellyfish are covered with batteries of specialised stinging cells. The stinging equipment found in the cells consists of a poison sac with an attached sharp hollow tube, which is armed with barbs.

Dr Vella said even detached tentacles found on the beach posed a hazard to humans because they remain capable of poisoning people for several weeks.

A jellyfish sting can be very uncomfortable, as so many bathers have found out.

Dr Vella said the only proven effective first aid treatment for the pain is the use of cold packs or ice.

A cold pack should be applied to the stung area for five to 15 minutes and reapplied if necessary. This will stop the pain in 98 per cent of the cases.

On the other hand, heat makes the poisoning worse. Dr Vella said vinegar is only useful to prevent further discharge and remove adherent tentacles after being stung by cubozoa jellyfish, which is the most toxic class of jellyfish. However, vinegar might make other types of sting worse.