"double attack" purple jellyfish in Chania

A woman in Chania who was stung twice in a row by a purple jellyfish experienced pain, severe itching, heart palpitations and dizziness.

The victim was swimming on Sunday on the beach of Chrissi Akti in Chania and felt a bite in her hand. She told the publication zarpanews.gr:

“There were waves in the sea and you couldn’t see clearly what was happening below. I was swimming and felt a strong bite. Then I felt a second bite, quite strong. But at first I didn’t have any marks.”

At first, the woman did not pay attention and thought that she could get a bite from a fish. When she began noticing marks on her hands, she began to search the Internet for information to find out what it could really be. She notes:

“I was looking for images of jellyfish stings. They were exactly the same as mine.”

After that, she went home, but when she saw that the marks were getting worse, she decided to go to the pharmacy for medicines. At the pharmacy they calmed her down and gave her a cream. The woman describes the symptoms: dizziness, heart palpitations and severe itching in this place. She also feels pain at the site of the marks, but only when touched. She wanted to share her experience with others so that beachgoers would be aware of it and be extra careful.

Last few days purple jellyfish appeared on the beaches in Chania because of the winds blowing in the area, which carried them south. We remind you what to do if you are stung by a purple jellyfish:

1. Rinse gently with seawater without rubbing the bite.
2. If possible, apply a mixture of sea water and baking soda (1:1 ratio) for two minutes to stop additional release of poison from possible tentacle cell residue remaining on the skin.
3. Use a plastic credit card or similar (not your hands) to remove the baking soda mixture and any residue from your skin.
4. Apply ice to the area where the jellyfish stung for 5-15 minutes. Ice, or possibly ice-cold water or a bottled drink, should be in a bag or other form of wrapping, such as a cloth or T-shirt.
5. Check if the pain has subsided and, if necessary, reapply the ice for another 5-15 minutes.
6. If pain persists, ask your doctor or pharmacist to prescribe painkillers or anti-inflammatory creams (such as 3-4% lidocaine and hydrocortisone).

Wrap the bite tightly with a bandage DO NOT USE VINEGAR, FRESH WATER, ALCOHOL, AMMONIA!!!

Greek Biodiversity Observatory, writes newsbeast.gr, offered to create a first aid kit on the beach. To help yourself on your own, on the beach it is recommended to have with you:

• a plastic card (for example, an old credit card);
• tweezers;
• a little baking soda (1:1 ratio with sea water);
• antihistamine tablet;
• cortisone cream, such as Fucicort.

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