The Summer season is now here. Many of us have packed up our families into a car full of all of our beach gear, and travelled to Sahel, and the last thing we want is to have our holiday ruined by jellyfish stings! With all of us hearing stories of friends getting bad stings at our favorite Mediterranean beach spots, it appears that the chances of being stung are worryingly high. So we spoke to Dr Mohamed El-Sebakhy to get an easy guide so that no matter whether it is you, your husband or your child that gets stung, you can be fully prepared. Here is what he advised:
Step 1: Remove any remaining tentacles. You can scrape them away using tweezers or a clean stick, then rinse the area thoroughly with seawater. (The salt helps to deactivate the stingers.)
Step 2: Soak the stung area in vinegar for 30 seconds. If vinegar is unavailable using a mix of baking soda and seawater on the affected area also helps to deactivate the stingers.
Step 3: Soak in hot water or cover the stung area with an ice pack for 45 minutes. The hot water should be as close to 45 degrees as possible to have maximum impact, although be careful not to go hotter than this, as it can damage the skin.
Step 4: Normal painkillers such as paracetamol can be used to relieve any remaining discomfort. However, if the discomfort continues, go and see a Doctor and ask to be given a mild cortisone which should stop the irritation and have you and your family back to enjoying your holiday in no time!
Please Note: Although everyone has heard stories about urine being used to treat jellyfish stings, please avoid this as the vast majority of scientific evidence has concluded that it is unlikely to help.
So armed with this knowledge from Dr Sebakhy, you can focus on having a great time this Summer with your friends and family, knowing that you are fully prepared in the event of a jellyfish emergency!
Image Credits: Mona Azzam and Yasmin Ashraf
