Local media has reported that it is considered the first death from a box jellyfish sting in 15 years.
Queensland police confirmed to CNN on Thursday that they were preparing a report for the coroner following the sudden death of the 17-year-old from Bamaga.
The boy was taken to hospital on February 22 following the incident and died on March 1, police said.
A spokesman for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an air medical service in Australia, told CNN in a statement that the crew had stabilized the patient in Bamaga before taking him to Townsville Hospital on Feb. 22.
Named for their body shape, box jellyfish have tentacles covered in tiny poison-laden darts known as nematocysts.
The Australian variant of the creature has a body size that can reach up to 12 inches in diameter and tentacles that can grow up to 10 feet in length.
“The recent Bamaga incident is a timely warning to take precautions when swimming in the sea in all northern waters,” Marlow Coates, Torres’ northern director of medical services and Cape Hospital and Health Service, said in a statement.
“We see both box jellyfish and jellyfish in our waters that cause Irukandji syndrome,” he said.
Coates said swimmers should wear protective gear, such as lycra suits or wetsuits, and stay out of the water if they don’t have protective gear.
Authorities added that a severe Chironex sting is “immediate and excruciatingly painful” and should be “considered life-threatening.”