A large variety of jellyfish lurks in Australian oceans, including the potentially deadly Irukandji and box species that inhabit tropical waters in the north of the country.

But is there anything you can do to quell the pain and stop the venom from spreading?

There are many theories about how to treat jellyfish stings, but medical experts say the advice is unproven and ever-changing — so they are calling for more investigation into treatments and antidotes.

WA’s St John Ambulance medical director Paul Bailey spent seven years studying jellyfish and said experts still only had a basic understanding of the marine creature.

“There’s a real gap in the medical evidence, so absolutely I would advocate for more and better trials looking at available treatments,” Dr Bailey said.

Beware of home remedies

In jellyfish tentacles, there are millions of stinging cells called nematocysts that inject venom under the skin.

Some first-aid treatments, like vinegar, are thought to stop the nematocysts firing and stop the sting from getting worse, but other home remedies do not work and could make things worse.

Vinegar a saviour, but not urine

After removing any tentacles from your body, most experts agree using vinegar as first aid is helpful, or at least not harmful.

World-renowned jellyfish expert Lisa-ann Gershwin said putting vinegar on a sting could save someone’s life.

“In the tropics, vinegar is the thing that will give you the best chance of actually surviving a potentially lethal sting,” Dr Gershwin said.

“The vinegar actually locks the stinging cells so they can’t discharge.”

Key points:

• There are a lot of theories about how to treat a jellyfish sting but not a lot of hard evidence
• Vinegar is believed to work on tropical stings but urine, soft drinks and fresh water are not recommended
• There are calls for more research into available treatments

Source
Jacqueline Lynch
ABC News