Eleven rushed to hospital after box jellyfish stings, possibly related to coronavirus beach closures
Box jellyfish
August 21, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
Uruma – Between August 1 and 19, 11 people were rushed to the hospital after being stung by box jellyfish or Portuguese man o’ wars, leading the Uruma Fire Department (led by Fire Chief Asahiro Morimizato) to call for increased caution. “We are asking people to cover up any bare skin and to use beaches where nets have been set up to keep out the box jellyfish.”
Among the individuals taken to the hospital, 9 were stung by box jellyfish and 2 were stung by Portuguese man o’ wars. Most of the incidents occurred near the shoreline of the Kaichu Road in Uruma, the shore of Hamahiga on Hamahiga Island, and the shore at Higa Fishing Port.
Portuguese man o’ war (photograph provided by the Okinawa Institute of Health and Environment)
To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, beaches with jellyfish protections are closed. This may be causing increasing numbers of people to swim at other beaches. The head of the Okinawa Department of Public Health and Medical Care says, “please check with municipal or hotel beach managers if nets have been set up and if the beaches are closed before you swim. Also, we ask that you refrain from swimming.”
The highly venomous box jellyfish grows to a size at which they are able to hurt humans between June and September. There have been fatal stings in the past. A box jellyfish warning has been announced by the prefecture (effective until September 30). The Portuguese man o’ war is a venomous pelagic jellyfish that can be carried into shore on very windy days.
According to prefecture representatives, there were 166 injuries from dangerous marine life in Okinawa Prefecture last year. Thirty-seven of those (approximately 22%) involved box jellyfish.
(English translation by T&CT and Ellen Huntley)
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