Is this your symptom?
- Sting from a jellyfish
- Jellyfish cause most of the stings that occur in sea water
- The creature's stingers inject venom into the human skin. This is what causes the symptoms.
- The main symptoms are pain, burning and redness at the sting site. Red lines are common.
Jellyfish Facts
- They are umbrella shaped, clear sea creatures with long trailing tentacles. They move slowly through the water by pulsing the upper body. Also carried by ocean currents. Their tentacles can be 10 feet or longer.
- Other Names. Jellies or sea jellies. Large groups of jellies are called a bloom. Blooms can close beaches.
- Where They Live. Found in every ocean and coastline.
- Numbers. Jellies have increased in numbers worldwide. Warmer ocean temps and pollution of ocean waters are factors. Fishing the ocean too much is also a cause. Tuna, shark and swordfish eat jellies.
- Stings can occur while wading, swimming or diving in salt water.
- Beached Jellies. Even beached or dying jellies can sting. So can pieces of tentacles floating in the water. They can release venom for up to 2 weeks.
- Prevention. Mainly do not go in the water where jellies are seen. Wearing a thin layer of clothing (such as pantyhose) also can protect you. Reason: the stingers are short and cannot puncture clothing. Special "stinger suits" can be bought in diving stores.
Cause of Sting Reactions
- The long tentacles have thousands of stingers.
- When a stinger is touched, it pierces the skin and injects venom.
- The venom is what causes all the symptoms.
Types of Jellyfish Sting Reactions
- Local Reactions are most common. Symptoms are raised, red lines that cross each other. The sting causes pain or burning at the site. Sometimes hives in the sting area occur. Blisters can occur in severe cases. Severe pain lasts 1-2 hours. Itching may last for a week. If the skin damage is severe, red or purple lines can last for weeks.
- General Reactions can occur if there are many stings. More stings give a higher dose of venom. Large venom symptoms are vomiting, dizziness, weakness and headache.
- Anaphylaxis(severe allergic reaction). Life-threatening reactions are very rare with the stings. Most are caused by box jellyfish found in the South Pacific and Australia. The main symptoms are trouble breathing and swallowing, along with hives. It starts rapidly, most often within 20 minutes of the sting.
When to Call for Jellyfish Sting
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Call 911 Now
- Past severe allergic reaction to jellyfish stings (not just hives) and stung less than 2 hours ago
- Wheezing or trouble breathing
- Hoarseness, cough or tightness in the throat or chest
- Trouble swallowing or drooling
- Speech is slurred
- Acts or talks confused
- Passed out (fainted) or too weak to stand
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Hives or swelling all over the body (but normal breathing)
- Muscle cramps or spasms
- Sting inside the mouth
- Sting on the eye
- Stomach pain or vomiting
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Sting covers a large area (more than 1 arm or leg)
- Fever and sting looks infected (spreading redness)
- Jellyfish sting and No past tetanus shots. Note: tetanus is the "T" in DTaP, TdaP, or Td vaccines.
- Severe pain not improved after 2 hours using care advice
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Blisters appear
- More than 48 hours since the sting and redness getting larger
- Last tetanus shot was more than 10 years ago
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Severe itching not better after 24 hours of using steroid cream
- Redness or rash lasts more than 48 hours
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Jellyfish sting - Normal local reaction
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
