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– The signs usually posted around coastal communities in Australia warn swimmers not to dive in during ‘sting season’, but those warnings weren’t enough to save a 17-year-old boy who died Monday, a week after a rare attack of an extremely poisonous jellyfish in Queensland. Authorities say the teenager was swimming on a beach in Bamaga, Cape York on February 22, when he was stung by a box jellyfish, a sea creature in the form of a box of long barbed tentacles filled with poison, according to the BBC. , who notes that the sting of this jellyfish can lead to paralysis and cardiac arrest in the victim and be fatal. 9News identifies the teenager as Tommy Johnson, who police say died at Townsville Hospital on Monday after being taken off livelihood about a week after the incident.
It was the nation’s first known death from box jellyfish since 2006. “Unfortunately [previous] There has also been a fatality in Bamaga, ” a marine biologist told ABC Australia. Local Health Officer Dr. Marlow Coates says that recently “ both box jellyfish and jellyfish have been observed causing Irukandji syndrome in our waters, ” per 9News, noting that anyone stung by one of these creatures should expect immediate, intense pain. The sting should be treated with vinegar – not fresh or salt water, which can make the situation worse. Also, do not try to pry the tentacles or rub the area. Or you could avoid these kinds of injuries altogether by heeding Coates’ warning: “If you don’t have a protective suit and you know there are stingers or jellyfish in the area. water, just don’t go in. ”(Read more stories about jellyfish.)