Big Box Jellyfish Blog Southeast Asia

  Tragically, it can happen anywhere there is a known, or unknown, habitat and presence of box jellyfish. It can be a beautiful, calm, tropical sandy beach. There can be many people, a few or none. Someone might even be wearing a protective lycra suit, though this is unlikely. Sometimes there are warning signs, often not. Perhaps there is a prevention net, usually there isn't. Or, there might be a lifeguard or two patrolling the beach and occasionally dragging a sampling net.  There may recently have been a mild or serious jellyfish sting there, or far worse, a fatal sting, but there is no obvious record or information.  You, eager to swim, wanting to cool down in the immersive sea in such a spectacular setting, naturally head unaware into the water. Little do you realise, or maybe you do but what are the odds, that the risk is ever-present and this swim could be your last. On the weekend, at a popular beach in Australia's far north-east, it happened, again...

  "Scientists have now also discovered that other species of jellyfish, most notably other cubozoans or box jellyfish (of which Irukandji is one of the smallest) also give rise to this syndrome. There are at least 8–12 other species of Irukandji jellyfish found in Australian waters. Most have been documented in the warmer waters of the east coast. Research has revealed that they also like to extend their tentacles and have caused injury in other parts of the world. Unfortunately there are no definitive tests that can confirm if patients are the victims of Irukandji stings. Treatment of the cryptic syndrome is also complex due to the varying symptoms, so it’s easy to misdiagnose." - Australian Geographic  If you've ever inexplicably felt like hell some time after emerging from the sea in South-East Asia and more than likely went to hospital where you could not get any relief from medication, comfort from loved ones and an explanation from doctors, a box jellyfish sting and...

Box jellyfish are widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific region and, while this blog is primarily focused on South-East Asia, tragic news of a fatality in a far north-east corner of tropical Australia resonates with relevancy throughout thousands of similar coastal communities. A young man of 17 has sadly lost his life, stung by a box jellyfish while net fishing with family at a faraway beach on the York Peninsula.  Box jellyfish are active right across the northern stretch of Australia during the wet season from October to May and stings from Chironex fleckerii and Irukandji occur though deaths are uncommon. Australia has developed a reasonably sophisticated and successful system of prevention and treatment education and tools so as to avoid tragic deaths such as that which occurred at Bamaga in Queensland this week. But, it's far from perfect. In fact, its effectiveness through concerted effort over a number of years is limited to specific places and areas, us...

Stinging and stabbing sea creatures are equally prevalent and dangerous in South-East Asia as they are in Australia. From Fairfax's Sydney Morning Herald, the following article was published in Australia on 28 December 2018: 

Reposting as box jellyfish facts are truly bizarre, and somewhat terrifying ... "These are fantastic creatures with 24 eyes, four parallel 'brains' and 60 arseholes," decrees Swede vision expert Dan Nilsson from the University of Lund who tells his box jellyfish facts as he sees them.

Venom from box jellyfish of the Chironex-type and Irukandji are insanely toxic. The former is known as the most venomous animal on the planet, while the latter causes prolonged pain and suffering that is almost incomparable.

Dr Lisa loves jellyfish. From the tips of their tender tentacles to the glint in their beady eyes, Dr Lisa likes what she sees. And she has seen it all, up close through microscope and personal via sting. World renowned jellyfish expert Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin is an American marine biologist based in Australia. She has researched and written extensively on the subject and here on an Australian Children's TV program, 'Creature Features', Dr Lisa talks to the kids about her passion for jellyfish and what should be done to avoid and treat stings.

This headline is not really fair on Thailand.

The Chief of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre and Aquarium ( www.pmbc.go.th/webpmbc/RE/  and http://www.phuketaquarium.org/ ) recently visited Australia on a Box Jellyfish fact-finding mission sponsored by the Australian government and he couldn't have timed his visit any better.