Treat Your Stings, Report Your Stings
It is clear through anecdotal evidence that an unknown number of potential box jellyfish stings are going unreported - meaning that no medical treatment is being sought and no official follow up is being made.
Firstly, if you think you have been stung by a dangerous jellyfish it is vitally important that you quickly seek medical attention - medical clinic, resort doctor, hospital. While often a time consuming process and one no holidaymaker wants to endure, a jellyfish sting of any seriousness must be looked at by a health professional to reduce immediate pain and the threat of further damage.
If a box jellyfish stings you then you would know quickly how bad it was, but if not life threatening it must still be looked at due to the stinging cells entering the body and resultant secondary infections that can cause illness and permanent scarring.
If Irukandji, the potentially life threatening but at the least excrutiating symptoms can be delayed by 20-30 minutes, medical assistance is essential!
Other jellyfish stings can cause horrible wounds and nasty scarring that can be reduced if immediate medical treatment is applied.
Also, by attending a medical facility, a record is created that can be followed up by authorities looking to improve the situation for all swimmers and water users. This data will prove crucial in determining whether the authorities continue to pursue and address the problem of potentially lethal jellyfish in Thai and Malaysian waters. Ultimately, your effort to help yourself could one day save the life of another.
Click this link to report a jellyfish sting with The Marine Medic:
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