Vast
numbers of bluebottle jellyfish have been pushed ashore in Queensland,
Australia, stinging thousands of people and forcing the closure of swim spots.
Surf Life
Saving Queensland said over 2,600 people received treatment at the weekend.
Bluebottle stings are painful but typically not life-threatening.
Unusually
strong winds pushed the jellyfish colonies towards beaches.
About 13,000
stings were recorded in the past week - three times more than in the
corresponding period last year.
Most
incidents took place in Queensland's heavily populated Gold Coast and Sunshine
Coast regions.
Bluebottle
jellyfish colonies appear like blue-tinged sacs which measure up to 15cm (6
inches) long. People can be stung in the water or on sand.
The
stings are typically mild and can be treated with ice or hot water, however
some people had required treatment by paramedics at the weekend, Surf Life Saving
Queensland (SLSQ) said. The number of those cases was not recorded.
The
jellyfish activity forced the closure of busy beaches.
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!