What treatment should be applied to a jellyfish sting?

If you've ever had the misfortune to win a “hug” from a jellyfish (or a caravel, jellyfish, etc.) while swimming on the beach, just like me, you should remember to this day how much pain you felt at the time. There is no way to think about anything other than burning the skin while the area in question itches furiously.

There are some popular beliefs that apply vinegar and ice to the region to cut off the effect of nematocysts - tiny sting-shaped stinging cells scattered across the jellyfish's tentacles that release toxins - and alleviate the burning sensation. However, recent research proves that these "remedies" are not completely effective, although they do help a little. And no, urine isn't a good medicine for that either, unlike what appears in an episode of Friends.

A study in Australia, a country famous for the amount of jellyfish and other similar animals on its beaches, hypothesized that vinegar prevents nematocysts that remain intact on the skin from hatching, but instead intensifies the action of those who have already fired. your stingers. However, this theory has not yet been fully proven.

The treatment that has proven most effective was published in 2012 in a medical journal by a researcher at the Department of Medical Emergencies at the University of San Diego, California. According to the text, the most effective solution against a jellyfish sting is to soak or bathe the affected area with very hot water and then apply some local anesthetic such as lidocaine ointment (same as xylocaine).

Of course, depending on the severity of the situation, take the person as soon as possible to a place where they receive emergency medical attention. Depending on the concentration of toxins released by certain species of these animals, such as jellyfish, jellyfish and caravels, stinging can be fatal.

Have you ever taken a jellyfish sting or other similar animal? Tell your story in the Curious Mega Forum