Jellyfish Sting 160 On Qld Beaches

[mrmoshe]

Jellyfish sting 160 on Qld beaches

Over 160 beach-goers were stung and two beaches were closed as a northerly wind change drove blue bottle jellyfish shorewards in south east Queensland.

Over 100 people were stung at Noosa and Rainbow beach on the Sunshine Coast, a Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) spokeswoman said.

However, none required hospitalisation.

On the Gold Coast, 60 people were stung at seven beaches, a SLSQ spokesman said.

Three of the jellyfish victims suffered allergic reactions and were taken to hospitals at the Gold Coast.

Burleigh Heads and Neptunes beaches were briefly closed due to the large numbers of blue bottle jellyfish.

SLSQ Gold Coast Duty Officer Kevin Dunn said while the number of jellyfish stings was extremely high, it was not unusual.

"We've been hit really badly today, mainly because those northerly winds came through.

"Blue bottles normally turn up at this time of year ... They are always there, but when the winds change, they tend to blow back onto our beaches.

"They are an amazing little creature, they are only about the size of a tea cup, sometimes a little larger, but some of their stingers run up to three metres long."

Blue bottle jellyfish stings are treated with ice, however, if the victim suffers an allergic reaction, they must seek medical assistance.