#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Thailand and Asia News >  >  Phuket : Box Jellyfish

## Mid

*They’re here! Box Jellyfish found in Phuket waters*
Monday, October 27, 2008 
*PANWA*: The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has issued an official warning following the collection of almost 40 box jellyfish in a trap in shallow waters off Ao Nambor, on Phuket’s east coast.  
Some 38 of the jellyfish, which favor shallow brackish water, were recovered from a fish trap in a mangrove area on July 30. Eighteen more were found in the same area over a two-day collection period starting on October 20. 
The search for the deadly jellyfish followed the reported death of a Swedish tourist off Koh Lanta, where another person was reported stung on April 3 this year.  
A two-hour search using a seine off Koh Lanta on August 22 recovered 13 specimens, six of the multi-tentacled _Chirodropidae_ family and seven of the smaller, single-tentacled _Carybdeidae_ family.  
The PMBC began their search for the jellyfish in Phuket in early July, working jointly with members of the the Disease Control Department’s Epidemiology Office.  
The researchers have also questioned staff at four hospitals along the Andaman Coast to learn the incidence and type of jellyfish stings that heave been reported there.  
Somchai Bussarawit, Chief of Reference Collection at the PMBC’s Phuket Aquarium, is working with the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute in Australia to identify the collected specimens.  
Of seven specimens collected at Ao Nambor that have already been sent to the institute, one has been confirmed as a _Chirosoides buitendijkl_, one of the seven members of the _Chirodropidae_ family, he said.  
The PMBC is preparing to send six more specimens which are thought possibly to be of the _Carybdeidae_ family, he said. 
The PMBC researcher, who expressed surprise at the discovery of these box jellies in local waters, said searches will now be conducted monthly. 
Noting that he is not an expert in jellyfish, he said it was still unsure what threat the collected species found at Ao Nambor posed to people. 
Although there have been no reports of box jellyfish stings in Phuket waters, the PMBC has issued a warning advising the public on what measures to take if they are stung.  
Although not all box jellyfish are dangerous to humans, stings from the most venomous varieties can cause death within four minutes if the venom reaches the heart and causes cardiac arrest. 
Any person who has suffered a possible box jellyfish sting should get out of the water as soon as possible, have his or her pulse rate monitored, and undergo cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the event of heart failure.  
The site of a sting should immediately be treated with vinegar to stop further injection of the toxin, the PMBC advises. 
Do not rub or scratch the site of the sting or apply fresh water or alcohol to it, the PMBC advises. 
Mr Somchai reiterated that there have been no box jellyfish sitings on west coast beaches, where the seawater is generally too saline an environment for box jellies. 
However, he advises seaside resorts in all parts of the island to keep bottles of vinegar as a standard part of their first aid kits as it is effective in healing stings from other kinds of less venomous jellyfish. 
phuketgazette.net 

could have a detrimental effect on tourism that will well surpasses anything political or economic . 
.

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## good2bhappy

all they need now is a few great whites to up the tourism

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## benlovesnuk

Too warm for great whites............they like waters a little colder!

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## jandajoy

Salties heading this way soon.............

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## Loy Toy

Good warning thread mate.

With the rapid change in the ocean temperatures these creatures seem to have migrated up from the Northern Australian Coastline which is a real shame for Phuket's tourist industry.

What next for Thailand and in particular Phuket........???

Can see box jelly fish alarms going off and half of Phuket heading for the mountains.  :Sad: 

They better get their alarms right and in a hurry and they must warn the tourists about the risks as these creatures are deadly!

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## benlovesnuk

i take it that they sting from the tentacle so if you're on surf board then its unlikely you would be stung?????

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## good2bhappy

> Salties heading this way soon.............


They used to be here but they got shot and eaten

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## Bexar County Stud

I was watching the Bondi Beach rescue show on the Aussie Network, and the lifeguards claimed that vinegar is* not* a fact a remedy for jellyfish stings. Same as tapwater. However, they continue to treat folks with vinegar because that's what people expect will make them feel better.

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## Loy Toy

> so if you're on surf board then its unlikely you would be stung?????


Phuket has surf..............? 

If you take your board through the face of a wave then most certainly you can get those tenticles wrapped around you.

I've been stung by Blue Bottle Jelly fish on numerous occasions and although they are not deadly they hurt like fcuk with all your glands swelling with the sting marks staying visible for years and like a long line scar.  :Sad:

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## Mid

ourdotcom.com


and there's a blog here with warnings dated March 11, 2008

PADI, diving and Instructor Development (IDC): Box jelly fish warning for Thailand waters

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## benlovesnuk

wow, that's interesting.........like a really crazy tattoo certainly looks painful.

phuket is one of only a few places in thailand that has a season for surfing, although it is on the west coast which as the report said is less likely to have this jelly...hopefully :Sad: !!!!!

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## Mid

> I was watching the Bondi Beach rescue show on the Aussie Network, and the lifeguards claimed that vinegar is* not* a fact a remedy for jellyfish stings. Same as tapwater. However, they continue to treat folks with vinegar because that's what people expect will make them feel better.


 
*Treatment:*


If you are stung, or are with someone else who has been stung, the treatment will vary depending on where you are, and what type of stinger is involved.

*In tropical waters:*_(generally north of Bundaberg in Queensland and Geraldton in Western Australia)_

Jellyfish capable of causing life-threatening stings primarily occur along the tropical coastline of Australia from Bundaberg in Queensland northwards, across the northern coastline and down to Geraldton in Western Australia. 


In areas where dangerous tropical jellyfish are prevalent, (e.g. Box Jellyfish or Irukandji), if the species causing the sting cannot be clearly identified, it is safer, to treat the victim with vinegar. 


It is recommended that a full-body lycra suit, or equivalent, be worn to provide a good measure of protection against marine stings, particularly during the stinger season, which generally runs from November to March.

*For tropical jellyfish stings:*


· Remove the patient from the water and restrain if necessary

· Call for help (dial 000 or get a surf lifesaver or lifeguard to help you)

· Assess the patient and commence CPR as necessary

· Liberally douse the stung area with vinegar to neutralise invisible stinging cells – do not wash with fresh water

· If vinegar is unavailable, pick off any remnants of the tentacles (this is not harmful to the rescuer) and rinse sting well with seawater (not freshwater)

· Seek medical assistance with rapid transport to hospital

_http://www.slsa.com.au/site/_content...-docsource.pdf_



Stings by tropical jellyfish require completely different treatment, in particular the immediate calling of an ambulance and, if available, dousing the stung area in vinegar to neutralise any remaining stinging cells from injecting more venom into the skin.

News


Stinger Death Sends Warning : News

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## benlovesnuk

so as long as im wearing my lycra surf gear im pretty much a ok..........just everyone will think im a dork but the likely hood of death will be reduced!!!!!!!!superb

vinegar and lycra what a lovely combination!

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## dirtydog

Urine is supposed to work on jelly fish stings  :Smile: 

*Man gets finger bitten off by moray eel video (Diver airlifted from Similians after fish attack)*

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## benlovesnuk

> Urine is supposed to work on jelly fish stings




Only handy if you know a lady by that name :Smile:

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## panama hat

Mrs Hat got a bit of a sting from a Box and it was treated by urine from me . . . and vinegar from the lifeguard near Cairns . . . 

Didn't like the reverse option.

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## deepee

Read on another forum of a 4 m. long supposed Great white shark being unloaded off a fishing boat at Hua hin in Feb this year.
Seems there were a couple of witnesses who were familiar with these critters and were " dead positive" it was a GWP.

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## benlovesnuk

thats a bit vague, and is like the same mythical tale we get in the uk but turns out to be a basking shark or something else!!!!!!

I can understand that there is a possibility a GW shark could be in the sea around thailand, but the likely hood of this is so small, as it is to warm for them. 

It was im sure a shark but not a great white!!!!!!! Im thinking the smaller the mouth the better, im guessing tiger but id rather take my chances with that than a GW any day vicious predator, scourge of the sea!!!!!!!!

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## pickel

> Im thinking the smaller the mouth the better, im guessing tiger but id rather take my chances with that than a GW any day vicious predator, scourge of the sea!!!!!!!!


Not that I'd like to see either, but I would much rather see a GW than a Tiger shark. GW attacks are mostly mistaken identity, while a Tiger shark is pure predator.

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## benlovesnuk

yeah but id rather have my hand taken away then half my body.........

i saw some kids playing with a tiger shark the noosed it and then took it for a ride until it got tired then ate it...........pretty savage in fact..... fuKking kids!!!!!!!!!!

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## nedwalk

most of the beaches on the northern qld beaches have vinigar available, however i got a mate at the university in townsville doing marine biology, they are researching warm/hot water on the stings 




> treated by urine from me .


warm fluid? did it help her? i know it sounds off, but maybe just the thing to have on hand so,s to speak, especially if it helped

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## Happyman

Urine works on weaver fish stings in UK and the Med as well !

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## Bexar County Stud

> Stings by tropical jellyfish require completely different treatment, in particular the immediate calling of an ambulance and, if available, dousing the stung area in vinegar to neutralise any remaining stinging cells from injecting more venom into the skin.


I stand corrected, my bad.

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## panama hat

> most of the beaches on the northern qld beaches have vinigar available, however i got a mate at the university in townsville doing marine biology, they are researching warm/hot water on the stings 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by panama hat
> 
> ...


It did . . . something about the uric acid as an antiseptic.

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## dirtydog

Our interview is with Dr Somchai Bussarawit, Chief of Reference Collection & Phuket Aquarium. Following the death of a tourist by a presumed deadly Box Jellyfish off Koh Lantas west coast of Krabi, in April this year, letters, cooperation & research are being exchanged with Australian jellyfish experts on types here, with an info exhibition now at Phuket Aquarium & letter issued to all concerned agencies & hotels; as Dr Somchai insists that deadly Box Jellyfish have not been found on Phukets West coast so far:

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## dirtydog

*Deadly Sea Wasp Box Jellyfish*

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## oldgit

Found this, seems urine is no good but the thought was there  :Smile: 

Travel Safety - Jellyfish

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## dirtydog

I reckon the urine idea came from Germans  :Smile:

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## panama hat

^ Nah, that would be crapping . . . ask DJPat, seems to be his speciality

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## dirtydog

Yeah but the urine bit leads to the crapping bit, everybody has heard the urine rumour, so as she lays there screaming with a stream of urine going all over and realising that it doesn't work, Herman suggest that he thinks he read somewhere that poo helps  :Smile:

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## November Rain

> the sting marks staying visible for years and like a long line scar.


Was stung by a jellyfish (no idea what type) off Khao Takiab beach, Hua Hin about 6 years ago. The sting left a large patch on my leg for about a year. Interestingly enough I got sick from some sort of viral infection about a year after it had faded & the bloomin' sting mark came back & lasted a couple of months...

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## panama hat

^^ Herman The German is a scatologist?   :tieme:

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## Mid

*Calls for jellyfish warnings*
Saturday, 31 January , 2009
Reporter: Kerrin McKechnie

ELIZABETH JACKSON: For Australian tourists travelling to Thailand there've been warnings about terrorist threats and political instability, but nowhere has the travel advice contained warnings about fatal jellyfish stings.

One Australian man is working hard to change l that after his son was nearly killed by a box jellyfish while the family was holidaying at a Thai beach.

Kirrin McKechnie reports.

KIRRIN MCKECHNIE: Last Summer, Andrew Jones took his young family on a dream holiday to Thailand.

But when his four-year-old son Lewis was stung by a box jellyfish while swimming off a small beach, things quickly became the stuff of nightmares.

ANDREW JONES: All of a sudden he stopped and screamed a really horrible scream, I never heard it before and I never want to hear it again. 

So I just raced out into the water and pulled him out onto the beach and he was absolutely hysterical and it was really only, it took a little while to register that it was in fact a jelly fish.

We had a pretty traumatic time from that moment on to try and firstly save his life, as he ran in to a spot of bother, he went straight into cardiac and respiratory arrest. 

KIRRIN MCKECHNIE: A quick thinking chef from a nearby resort threw vinegar on the four-year-old's wounds. It saved the little boy's life.

Andrew Jones says he would never let his family swim off the North Queensland coast because of fears of stingers, but he had no idea the waters around Thailand were just as dangerous.

ANDREW JONES: And the horror of it was the fact that we knew nothing about there even being box jellyfish in this area; there's no signage, obviously this is Thailand.

But there's no warnings from anybody there that they might be around, whereas you see lots of warnings in places like Queensland and the Northern Territory

The box jellyfish is renowned to be probably the most venomous creature on the planet and when it wraps its tentacles around a little four year old it can cause some serious damage. So in actual fact he's lucky to be alive.

KIRRIN MCKECHNIE: Since then, Andrew Jones has launched a dedicated campaign to make the beaches of Thailand safer.

He's travelled back to Bangkok, holding meetings with the Thai Government, local scientists and consular officials from Australia and other big tourist nations.

He says his biggest hurdle in raising awareness of stingers has been a massive resistance from tourism operators, worried about the bad publicity.

ANDREW JONES: Several years earlier, 2002, a Melbourne man had been stung and actually died on Koh Samui and the authorities there actually tried to cover this up.

There were signs put up on the beach warning tourists of the problem, but all the local operators pulled those down.

KIRRIN MCKECHNIE: But last year Mr Jones teamed up with jellyfish expert Lisa Gershwin and the pair have made real progress.

As the curator of natural science at the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston, Lisa Gershwin says the key has been knocking down cultural boundaries that made fatal jellyfish stings go undetected by Thai authorities.

LISA GERSHWIN: I don't think it's that they ignoring the problem. I think it's that they simply didn't know. 

Most of the people getting stung in Thailand are either fisherman in little villages and they don't require death certificates and there's kind of a cultural thing that if you get killed by the ocean it's because you pissed it off. 

So there's these cultural beliefs and local customs that don't really make jellyfish fatalities something reportable.

ELIZABETH JACKSON: Lisa Gershwin with Kirrin McKechnie.

xxx.xxx.xx

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## Smithson

So I assume the Thais are doing everything to make visitors aware of the danger and the means to treat victims are readily available?

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## Mid

^

I wouldn't  :Sad: 




> He says his biggest hurdle in raising awareness of stingers has been a massive resistance from tourism operators, worried about the bad publicity.





> There were signs put up on the beach warning tourists of the problem, but all the local operators pulled those down.

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## bangerharvey

An international team based in Australia including American jellyfish expert Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin held a series of workshops and seminars while also conducting fieldwork around Phuket and Koh Lanta in early April 2009.
Working closely with the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, the team addressed Thai marine biologists and fisheries reps, public health and tourism authority officials from dozens of coastal provinces, and numerous Consular officials, private hospital and travel/hospitality reps detailing scientific, medical and general facts about box jellyfish and irukandji in Thailand.
It is clear that the problem is more widespread than the 'official' fatality number of 4 western tourists in 10 years from large box jellyfish. There is also strong evidence of symptoms of Irukandji syndrome reported in many locations though closer monitoring to recognize these symptoms has to be undertaken at a local hospital/clinic level to ascertain the extend of this. Large irukandji called Morbakka exist in Thai waters and these animals have been associated with fatalities and serious envenomation in other countries. Also, aside from the injuries and death it has inflicted there is other clear evidence of a large chironex type box jellyfish in Thai waters. 
Proper testing/sampling will be undertaken in strategic locations around Thailand to get a better indication of the scope of the issue which is at this moment unknown (biology, ecology, etc). Also a close bilateral program is being actioned to further progress local knowledge and assist with implementing an effective safety and education system. 
In the meantime, make sure that vinegar is available when at the beach or off-shore (carry a bottle or ask the boat, hotel, bungalows etc to get some) just in case - the risk it is assumed is minimal but it just might pay to invest in a bottle (it also works on non-lethal jellyfish).
Dr Gershwin recommend's the following treatment:
Here's what's right according to scientific research:
1. Vinegar stops the undischarged stinging cells of box jellies and Irukandjis from being able to discharge. This is an instant and permanent effect. It works equally well with all colours and flavours of household vinegar, but less well with other types or concentrations of acids. 
2. Vinegar causes discharge of stinging cells of some other types of jellyfish species -- all but one of these are known to be non-harmful compared to the box jellies and Irukandjis. Thus, causing discharge of these is of little medical consequence, whereas inhibiting discharge of box jellies and Irukandjis may save a life. The one that IS discharged by vinegar and is harmful is incredibly rare, having been last recorded in (I think, from memory) 1994. 
3. Vinegar does not stop pain from stings. It stops further injury by stopping additional venom from entering the body. This may be critical in borderline envenomation cases. 
4. Freshwater causes all marine stinging cells to discharge through a process called osmotic action. This simply involves molecular uptake of H2O across the salinity gradient and across the cell wall, until the nematocyst (= stinging cell) ruptures, with the typical weakest point being the capsule operculum (lid). If the stinging cells happen to be facing toward your skin when this happens (likely if they have been left there by a jellyfish), then penetration through the skin (and injection of venom) is likely. 
5. Heat causes capillary dilation, which is thought to potentially increase both the speed and amount of venom uptake. This could be critical in borderline envenomation cases. 
6. Heat reduces pain through various neurological processes in the body, not through venom denaturation, as is commonly thought. Jellyfish venoms denature rapidly at 60 degrees C. At lower temperatures, venom denaturation would take longer than the venom would remain at the sting site, particularly if capillary dilation were acting to transfer the venom into the blood stream. 

The current recommendation from the Australian Resuscitation Council is (paraphrased):
1. For any known or suspected box jellyfish or Irukandji sting, use vinegar.
2. For any TROPICAL sting of unknown origin, use vinegar. 
3. For CONFIRMED bluebottle stings OUTSIDE THE TROPICS, rinse well with seawater, then immerse in 45 degree C water for 20 minutes; if 45 degree C water for 20 minutes is unavailable or the temperature cannot be safely regulated, rinse well with seawater then use ice for the pain.
4. For unknown stings OUTSIDE THE TROPICS, rinse well with seawater then use ice for the pain.

In other words, in the tropics, use vinegar. For boxies and Irukandjis, use vinegar. In Thailand, use vinegar. Outside the tropics only use hot water if you know for sure it is a blue bottle (not because there's anything peculiar about blue bottles and hot water, just because the Australian bluebottle, _Physalia utriculus_, is highly unlikely to kill, and causes tens of thousands of stings per year along temperate Australian beaches). 

Sincerely, Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin
Director, Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services

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## terry57

I have just returned from Borneo.

I visited an island 15 minutes out of Kota Kinabulu, whilst I was there the life guards pulled a box jelly fish out of the ocean and started showing us. They did have viniger on standby so seams to be there common but at only certain times of the year same as Northern Australia.

I foking shit ten shades of shite as being an Aussie we know how deadly some of the specie can be.

People usually die from a combination of toxen and over whelming pain.  

Fok that mateys.   :Confused:

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## panama hat

^ Did you go diving near the Tunku Abdul Rhaman reserve?  Excellent area for it!

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## klongmaster

Amazing...this thread is only #38 post long and has had over 57000 views...

goggle at its best...

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## dirtydog

A few more than that now klongy, teakdoor must be the leading authority on nasty killer jellyfish  :Smile:

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## Mr R Sole

So the original OP was 2008...so what the status now??? Boxes everywhere or what...I live in Trang and regularly go to the beach with my 6mth old daughter...now we do get dead j/fish on the beaches...which obviously means they are pretty prevelant in the sea...so how big are these buggers and how close to shore do they generally come???

I heard that the Anderman sea has quite a large tiger shark population around the coastal waters of thailand!!! not that bothered about them as my diving days are nearly numbered with having the nipper..missus loves to snorkel but 6mth old can't do shit  :Smile: 

Anyway we have loads of mangrove forests here which means brakish water...which in turn should then mean box jellfish if I'm not mistaken...seems to make sense to me...if they are coming up the coast from OZ etc to Phuket they've gotta pass Trang...the islands here are amazing and well I don't wanna be stuck 2-3hrs from the mainland with only local thai's to help my fat ass should there be a problem!

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## Mr R Sole

there bloody tiny...ow you gonna see that??? especially if the waters murky...like in Trang...(excluding the islands..where it's crystal clear!!!!)
 Nasty little buggers...and the one on the knees was apparently a fatality!!!

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## Mid

*Swedish Woman Killed By Poisonous Jellyfish?*
21.11.2010 
*
A poisonous jellyfish may have killed a Swedish woman in Cha-Am.*

 
_A poisonous jellyfish may have killed a Swedish  woman in Cha-Am.     Ann Nordh, 59, from Jonkoping died last Sunday in the resort of Cha-am   in Thailand when she went swimming, writes the Swedish tabloid   Aftonbladet._ 

 Ann Nordh, 59, from Jonkoping died last Sunday in the resort of  Cha-am in Thailand when she went swimming, writes the Swedish tabloid  Aftonbladet.

 An autopsy will later determine the cause of death. But according to  the hospital she was taken to its most likely that she has been in  contact a deadly jellyfish. Ann Nordh was in Thailand on holiday  together with her husband.

 According to the marine biology centre in Phuket, the box jellyfish  has become more common in recent years in the waters off Malaysia and  Thailand - popular winter destinations for hordes of Swedish tourists.

 The centre issued an official warning last winter when an unusual number of the deadly jellyfish were found off the coast. 

 Original news source: Svenska kan ha dödats av manet | Nyheter | Aftonbladet

scandasia.com

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## Tom Sawyer

Look at the number of views on this thread! I know it's two years old - still - more than 250,000!

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## Mid

261,000
*

Swedish Tour Operators Hiding the Threat of Deadly Jellyfish?*
22.11.2010

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has reported on another Scandinavian fatality in Thailand following a box jellyfish sting. 

 Ann Nordh, 59, from Jonkoping, was in Thailand on holiday with her  husband. She died last Sunday in the Thai resort of Cha-am, after  contact with a suspected deadly box jellyfish. 

 This follows the case of another Swedish tourist, Moa Bergman, aged  11, who was killed by a jellyfish off the tourist island of Koh Lanta in  Thailand in 2008, and another case in Malaysia, earlier this year, when  a Swedish tourist, Carina Lofgren died a quick but painful death after a  box jellyfish attack. 

 In Carina's case, there was strong suspicion of a cover-up by the Malaysian authorities. 

 The doctor wrote "drowning" in my wife's autopsy report, says widower Ronnie Löfgren. 

 Ronny was just three feet behind his wife Carina, 45, when the deadly jellyfish attacked. 

 “Suddenly she started screaming and scratched her legs frantically. I  understood immediately that it was a jellyfish attack " he says. 

 A few minutes later Carina Löfgren died in her husband's arms. He could still see the tentacles around his wife’s legs.

 The accident occurred in February on the island of Langkawi in Malaysia. 

 “The doctor concluded that drowning was the sole cause of Carina's  death. 

But that's bullshit. I saw the jellyfish and the damage it  caused”. 

 “The only conclusion I can draw from this is that Malaysians want to  hide the truth about the dangers of the deadly jellyfish. 

They are  terrified of the fact that jellyfish can scare away tourists, "he says. 

 There are similar fears of a cover up in Thailand from Scandinavian  tour operators fearful of losing custom if the prevalence of box  jellyfish becomes widely known. 

 Aftonbladet reported that Swedish tour operators are still playing  down the threat, and only warning holidaymakers locally about the risks,  when they arrive at their hotels. 

Thai  authorities are aware, and according to the marine biology centre in  Phuket, box jellyfish have become more common in recent years in the  waters off Malaysia and Thailand. 

The centre issued an official warning  last winter when an unusual number of the deadly jellyfish were found  off the coast.

scandasia.com

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## Mid

*No Phuket Deaths from Box Jellyfish: Expert Shocked at Misinformation*
Alan Morison    
Monday, November 22, 2010

THE recent death of a Swedish tourist from box jellyfish stings in the  Thailand-Malaysia region was confirmed today by the Swedish honorary  consul for Phuket and the Andaman region, Dr Sompoch Nipakanont.

He said the fatality took place about two weeks ago in Cha-Am, a popular  resort in the Gulf of Thailand - not on Phuket, as some newspapers in  Thailand have been reporting.  

  ''The Swedish woman died in Cha-Am, not on Phuket,'' he told _Phuketwan_ today. ''Three Swedes have died from box jellyfish stings in the region in the past three years,'' he said. 

Previous deaths have occurred in Langkawi, Malaysia, and on Koh Lanta in  Krabi. Box jellyfish are known to be becoming more prevalent in  South-East Asia and elsewhere in the world.

Precisely why Swedes appear to have fallen victim in three fatalities in  three years is not clear. At this stage, it appears to be coincidence.

The Phuket Marine Biology Centre has led a campaign in Thailand and  Malaysia to increase awareness about the growing dangers of box  jellyfish, the world's most toxic creature, and its treatment. 

A meeting of honorary consuls and embassy representatives with Phuket  Governor Tri Augkaradacha was told today that vinegar is an essential  part of any first aid box on Phuket and along the Andaman coast, or  anywhere that box jellyfish are liable to wander. Only vinegar reduces  the toxicity of the potentially deadly box jellyfish tentacles. 

Australia has experienced box jellyfish arriving in numbers at previously-clear tourist destinations. 

Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin, who as Director of the Australian Marine Stinger  Advisory Services is an acknowledged international expert on box  jellyfish, told _Phuketwan_ today that she was surprised at the  misinformation being spread on one online site in Thailand that purports  to be authoritative about the security and safety of expats. 

''I was really struck by not the lack of information, but actually the  MISINFORMATION that these commenters had,'' she wrote in an email. ''The  consequence of this, of course, is that these are the people who have  put themselves on the forefront of knowing, and what they know, in many  of the cases in these comments, is flat dangerous. 

''Their perceptions are a danger to themselves and to others.

''I think yes, in a strange way, there is a cover-up. But it is a far  more sinister cover-up than one that could ever be created by the  authorities - this is a cover up by the people who are most at risk -  the people in the water, the tourists and the operators. 

''I don't think this is a cover up by tourist operators to save money - I  believe that this is a cover up by tourists and other recreational  users of the water, who don't want to believe that they themselves are  at risk of something that they have never seen.''

Dr Gershwin visited Phuket last year and gave several seminars on box  jellyfish as well as another dangerous marine creature known as an  irakanji, and offered her advice on techniques to treat people who have  been stung. 

She had a lot more to say about box jellyfish and misinformation today. Here's what she told _Phuketwan_ via email:  

1) if the government or operators say there is a problem, the tourists  and visitors don't want to believe it - in this way, it is extremely  difficult for the authorities to institute any program of education,  awareness or improving safety

2) if the tourists and visitors don't believe that there is a problem,  they are unlikely to urge or even cooperate with any sort of  governmental assistance to manage the problem.

So then, is the whole thing left to the gods?  No, I don't think so. But  I think it means that the government and the operators have a very  difficult challenge on their hands: 

  - if they do nothing, people will die and deaths will inevitably  negatively affect tourism - we live in an age of information, and it is  impossible to hide;

  - if they wait for the public to demand action, it may never happen,  or more likely, it will happen all at once when "one too many" people  die, whatever that number is - we will never know what that number is,  until it becomes a massive media thing like happened here in 2002, and  many millions of tourism dollars will be lost with a very long ripple  effect.

  - if they begin taking action without the proper education to  accompany it, the public won't believe it and may be scared off by it,  and it will likely fail;

  - if they begin an awareness and education campaign without the proper  actions to accompany them, the public won't believe it because it will  ring hollow, and it will likely fail;

  - if they get it right, the actions and education will be credible,  and the public will believe it, and the actions will be effective, and  the public will embrace it, and safety will improve and very likely be  an asset to tourism - but how?  

This is very tricky.... and a lot is at stake... not just tourism  dollars, and not just life and death, but also public confidence and  trust, which takes a lot longer to recover once broken

*My advice:*

The people in the water need to believe there is a problem, and just as  importantly, that it is manageable. Without these two beliefs, there is  really nothing the operators can do to protect anyone, and there is  really nothing the government can do either. 

What I have read in the comments to the story [on the Thai Visa chat  site] clearly illustrates that these two beliefs are not in place. It  all comes down to awareness and education. It worked in the Whitsundays,  [a popular Australian destination] which was just as in denial and more  hostile (there were death threats against me), but it worked. 

And now the Whitsundays tourism industry is doing well, and the stingers  are largely managed and no longer scary or a taboo subject. And when  stings occur, they are well managed, as are the media stories  surrounding them, of which there are plenty. 

I think the best strategy for Thailand would be to not concentrate on  education of Thai operators, per se, although that is necessary too, but  rather aim for a more globally-orientated stinger awareness. 

I guarantee that the operators will respond as the tourists dictate  (because they have to in order to stay in business). But the tourists  have to see that there is a **manageable problem** in a pro-active and  balanced way, rather than leaving it to the fickle hands of panic after  one too many deaths occurs. 

It does no good to compare jellyfish fatalities to road accidents,  because the typical person just is not afraid of road accidents (though  they should be!), but they are afraid of jellyfish because it's the  unknown, and it also impinges on their recreation time when they don't  want to have to think about dangers. 

And it does no good to compare jellyfish fatalities to elephant attacks,  because elephant attacks are too abstract and most people will never be  in a situation where there is any risk to them at all; but with  jellyfish, the reality is that there is a danger when you enter their  habitat, and you can't see them, and that is very scary to a lot of  people. 

It is not the fatalities that will cripple the tourism industry, it is  tourists' fear that it could happen to them and that there are no  safeguards in place to protect them. This is the part that must be  managed, the fear and the vulnerability. 

Of course that comes from managing the fatalities, but not really - I  mean, you can have no fatalities and still have a tourism problem  because of fear - it's just that fatalities tend to imply that it is not  being managed **enough**, and the consequences can be disastrous.

phuketwan.com

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## Mid

> A meeting of honorary consuls and embassy representatives with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha was told today that vinegar is an essential part of any first aid box on Phuket and along the Andaman coast, or anywhere that box jellyfish are liable to wander. *Only vinegar reduces the toxicity of the potentially deadly box jellyfish tentacles.*


and once again I would like to highlight the above .

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## harrybarracuda

I've said it before: put a big fucking sign up with some of these pictures and it will stop the stupid Russians going into the sea at Karon and drowning.

(BTW, does pissing on the stings still work?)

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## Mid

> (BTW, does pissing on the stings still work?)


NO , never did and never will

ffs *VINEGAR* is the answer

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## Tom Sawyer

.."This follows the case" of a "2008" case... Well, it followed by 2 years.. come on. People are supposed to know there are big friggen jelly fish - Portuguese Man O War I think is the correct term..

Yes they should have signs up.. but swimming in the ocean is risky, drowing more likely, but get over it. Or don't go swimmin' in the ocean.

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## Mid

> Portuguese Man O War I think is the correct term..


different beast




> Yes they should have signs up


more to the point life saving vinegar MUST be close at hand .

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## Tom Sawyer

^
Sure - but since nothing else is 'close at hand' (like lifeboats or first-aid stations), having life-saving vinegar stations seems unlikely. You have reminded me however to bring my own to the beach next time - good reminder.

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## Mid

then carry your own , and yes I am serious .

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## dirtydog

> (BTW, does pissing on the stings still work?)


Your dreams of laying on the beaches of Phuket with Thai women queing up to urinate on you are just that, dreams.

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## harrybarracuda

> Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
> 
> (BTW, does pissing on the stings still work?)
> 
> 
> Your dreams of laying on the beaches of Phuket with Thai women queing up to urinate on you are just that, dreams.


Have to stick with the jacuzzi then.

 :smiley laughing:

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## The Bold Rodney

Last year while visiting Pranburi (South of Hua HIn) I and another guy observed a square shaped jellyfish swimming around at a very fast speed at the edge of the river in very shallow water pool. 

I asked the guy who was with me what he thought it was doing and he guessed it was hunting small crabs or river shrimps. I replied I'd never seen a jellyfish swim like that before and in fact I always thought they just drifted with the water flow / tides and wind. (I now know better thanks to the videos posted here)

Thinking back it was square shaped and swam like a bloody fish so it certainly wasn't drifting aimlessly, the water in the river is brackish and there's arranged trips to the mangroves up river so the area suits this animal if it can get there?

The guy I was with admitted he'd never seen one like it before or like I said ever seen a jellyfish swim so fast, in fact it was so unusual and interetsing for us both we watched it swimming around for quite some time. 

So after reading on this thread about the unfortunate lady who died at the beach in Cha Am (aprox. 50 km further North) it's certainly made me think about these f*ckers. 

This year the beeches were covered in washed up jellyfish and many people (kids mainly) were still swimming (not the Thai kids though) and sure enough a young Scandinavian kid got stung across his back and was eventually rushed to hospital by his parents.

Never heard anything more as they were booked to fly back the following day but it's an understatement he wasn't happy when he got stung and it appeared that the Thais rubbing sand on his back didn't seem to do any good.

Suddenly chlorine filled swimming pools don't seem that unattractive and it's no joke if you get stung by an ordinary jellyfish in Thailand let alone these bloody box types. :Confused:

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## The Bold Rodney

Recent fatality in Cha Am.

http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-deaths-box-jellyfish-expert-shocked-misinformation-13292/

*No Phuket Deaths from Box Jellyfish: Misinformation Shocks Expert*


By Alan Morison Monday, November 22, 2010

THE recent death of a Swedish tourist from box jellyfish stings in the Thailand-Malaysia region was confirmed today by the Swedish honorary consul for Phuket and the Andaman region, Dr Sompoch Nipakanont.

He said the fatality took place about two weeks ago in Cha-Am, a popular resort in the Gulf of Thailand - not on Phuket, as some newspapers in Thailand have been reporting.

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## Mid

*Swedish Woman Wasn't Killed by Box Jellyfish*
04.12.2010

It  wasn't a box jellyfish that killed the Swedish woman in Cha Am in  Thailand two weeks ago, says a spokesman from the Swedish Ministry of  Foreign Affairs.

 According to the spokesman, the autopsy clearly shows that the  Swedish tourist Ann Nordh, 57, did not die from a box jellyfish attack,  writes the Sweish tabloid Expressen.

There wasnt any signs of the typical box jellyfish burns on her body.

The spokesman refuses to name the course of the tragic dead.

 
_There wasnt any signs of the typical box jellyfish  burns on her body. And according to the spokesman, the autopsy clearly  shows that the Swedish tourist Ann Nordh, 57, did not die from a box  jellyfish attack, writes the Sweish tabloid Expressen.

_Original news source: Kvinna dog inte av manet - Nyheter - Senaste nytt | Expressen - Nyheter Sport Ekonomi Nöje

scandasia.com

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## Mid

*Vinegar.
*

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## Mid

*Phuket, Thailand Need Jellyfish Warning System*
Alan Morison    
Saturday, August 24, 2013

 
_Biologists check for jellyfish in an east coast Phuket bay, 2009_
phuketwan.com/file 

*PHUKET:* Education and prevention are needed urgently because of the  dangers of jellyfish in Thailand's coastal waters, including around  Phuket, researchers have warned.

''Intensive prevention measures are needed, including systems in place  for early detection of abnormal increases in dangerous jellyfish near  beaches,'' say the researchers.

They recommend better training for lifeguards and other paramedics and  provision of first aid equipment (especially vinegar) , plus stinger  nets at high-risk beaches if appropriate. 

Phuket's Governor, Maitree Intrusud, met with the research team earlier this year and gave his support to an education program. 

A selection of Phuket resorts have shown interest in seminars and the  issue is likely to be part of the Coastal Water Safety Summit being  planned for Phuket in October. 

A major infestation of jellyfish has not been seen on Phuket since 2009  but deadly box jellyfish have been sighted and are known to inhabit the  region's waters.

The latest alert to the potential dangers comes in a paper written by Dr  Lakkana Thaikruea, Dr Potjaman Siriariyaporn, Dr Rochana  Wutthanarungsan, and Punnarai Smithsuwan.

The researcher call for an appropriate surveillance system so that  people in Thailand's coastal regions will know if jellyfish pose more  than a random threat. 

The danger became evident in 2002 when two foreign tourists died at Phangan island, in Surat Thani, the researchers say.

''At that time, no government officials had ever heard of box jellyfish  killing humans in Thailand,'' the paper says. ''There was strong belief  that the deaths were caused by hypersensitivity of Caucasian people to  local jellyfish toxin.''

In March 2008, a Swedish girl died at a beach on Lanta Island, in Krabi  province. ''she had extensive tentacle marks all over her legs,'' the  paper says.

The researchers aimed to clarify how widespread the risks are in  Thailand and helped Public Health to structure an adhoc surveillance  system in 23 provinces around the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. 

Hospitals and health centres in Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani and Satun also became involved. 

''Cases were reported mainly from two hospitals; a district hospital in  Surat Thani province and a private hospital in Phuket province,''the  study says. 

The network detected 381 toxic jellyfish cases from 2003-2009 91 in  Surat Thani, 119 in Krabi, 140 in Phuket, and 31 in Satun. Almost 200 of  the cases involved foreigners. 

Interviews with local residents established that ''the majority of the  fishshermen  had seen both single and multi-tentacle box  jellyfish on  both coasts since they were young.''

''Some of the fishermen said that the box jellyfish could be spotted  after rains or storms. They floated with the current and at depths  between the surface and bottom of the sea, and they could be found at  any time around the clock.''

Fatal cases had been reported in Satun province ''for around 10 to 20 years.''

''Folk treatment included vinegar [now recommended by experts], beach  morning glory, honey, lime, rain water, banana, brown sugar, squid ink,  aloe vera, and analgesic balm.''

Sea gypsies also gave accounts of encounters. 

''Two fatal events around 60 years ago were described as caused by  jellyfish in sea gypsy villages in Phuket province,'' the paper says.  ''Those people were found dead in the sea bearing extensive tentacle  marks. 

''In later years, this group of people changed to wearing long sleeved  shirts and pants for protection from jellyfish and other sea animals.''

The researchers report that the number of toxic jellyfish cases  increased between 2006 and 2009 on both coasts: ''This might be a real  trend or loss of medical records in earlier years.''

The paper adds: ''This study could not confirm box jellyfish cases, but  there were at least 53 cases diagnosed under the toxic jellyfish  category.''

Increased surveillance is the main recommendation of the researchers.

The Chiang Mai University Medical Journal paper was a combined project  by  the Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang  Mai University, and the Epidemiology Bureau, Disease Control Department,  Ministry of Public Health. It was first published last year but has  just become available online.

phuketwan.com

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