Jellyfish Sting

When To Call

Call 911 Now

• Past severe allergic reaction to jellyfish stings (not just hives) and stung less than 2 hours ago
• Wheezing or trouble breathing
• Hoarseness, cough or tightness in the throat or chest
• Trouble swallowing or drooling
• Speech is slurred
• Acts or talks confused
• Passed out (fainted) or too weak to stand
• You think your child has a life-threatening emergency

Go to ER Now

• Hives or swelling all over the body (but normal breathing)
• Muscle cramps or spasms
• Sting inside the mouth
• Sting on the eye
• Stomach pain or vomiting

Call Doctor or Seek Care Now

• Sting covers a large area (more than 1 arm or leg)
• Fever and sting looks infected (spreading redness)
• Jellyfish sting and No past tetanus shots. Note: tetanus is the "T" in DTaP, TdaP, or Td vaccines.
• Severe pain not improved after 2 hours using care advice
• Your child looks or acts very sick
• You think your child needs to be seen, and the problem is urgent

Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours

• Blisters appear
• More than 48 hours since the sting and redness getting larger
• Last tetanus shot was more than 10 years ago
• You think your child needs to be seen, but the problem is not urgent

Contact Doctor During Office Hours

• Severe itching not better after 24 hours of using steroid cream
• Redness or rash lasts more than 48 hours
• You have other questions or concerns

Self Care at Home

• Jellyfish sting - Normal local reaction

Care Advice

What You Should Know About Jellyfish Stings:

• Jellyfish cause most of the stings that occur in the ocean.
• Jellyfish stings cause pain that feels like a bee sting.
• Here is some care advice that should help.

Remove Any Tentacles with Sea Water:

• Rinse the area with sea water. This will help remove any tentacles stuck to the skin.
• Do not rinse with fresh water (will trigger stingers).
• Do not scrub or rub area (will trigger stingers).
• Do not use your bare fingers. Reason: you will get stings on your hands.

Scrape the Area to Remove Small Stingers:

• Scrape off any stingers you can see. Use the edge of a credit card or butter knife.
• Stop scraping if this increases the pain.

Heat Therapy if Initial Pain is Severe:

• Apply heat to the painful area. Reason: hot water may break down the venom and relieve the pain.
• Place the painful part in a tub of hot water, if possible. For other areas, you can apply a hot washcloth.
• Water temperature: hot, but not above 104 F (40 C). This is the usual temperature of hot tubs. Caution: be careful to avoid skin burns.
• How long: use heat therapy for 10 to 20 minutes. Stop sooner if the pain improves.
• Caution: do not put hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or urine on the painful area. Reason: they do not help and can make it worse.

Pain Medicine:

• To help with the pain, give an acetaminophen product (such as Tylenol).
• Another choice is an ibuprofen product (such as Advil).
• Use as needed.

Steroid Cream for Itching:

• For itching or swelling, put 1% hydrocortisone cream (such as Cortaid) on the sting.
• No prescription is needed.
• Use 3 times per day until itching stops.

What to Expect:

• Severe burning pain will lessen within a few hours.
• Itching may last for a week.
• Red lines from the tentacles may last 1-2 weeks.

Call Your Doctor If:

• Blisters appear
• Severe pain lasts over 2 hours
• Sting looks infected (spreading redness or pus)
• You think your child needs to be seen
• Your child becomes worse

Remember! Contact your doctor if you or your child develop any "Contact Your Doctor" symptoms.

Photos

Jellyfish Sting

This shows a jellyfish sting reaction. The sting will cause pain and swelling where the tentacles of the jellyfish touched the skin. The rash is red and swollen.

Source: Self Care Decisions, LLC
From the Dr. William Weston Collection of Pediatric Dermatology. Used with permission.