• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Officials: Rise in Jellyfish Stings Seen Along Coastal Carolinas

Posted on: Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 00:00 CDT

Aug. 23--It is unknown what type of jellyfish stung swimmers in Myrtle Beach, police said.

Lifeguards and beach patrol officers in the Carolinas continue to assist swimmers stung by jellyfish.

Increased calls have been reported from the South Strand to Wilmington, N.C.

Park rangers at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area near Wilmington said more jellyfish have appeared this year compared with last year and are causing problems.

"We are having a lot more incidents with jellyfish," said Mike Seigh, park superintendent at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. "It's not a natural disaster, but a lot of people are coming up to us with more marks related to jellyfish. We've also been having a problem with stingrays."

Beach patrol officers in Myrtle Beach said at least two people were taken to the hospital after being stung by jellyfish Sunday.

About eight surfers participating in the Guy Daniels Memorial Surf-Off in Surfside Beach were stung by jellyfish this weekend.

Different kinds of jellyfish are known to live in the water in the Carolinas.

Officers in North Myrtle Beach saw numerous cannonball jellyfish Sunday. Cannonball jellyfish are not known to sting or bite.

Mushroom jellyfish also are not toxic, but moon jellys can cause serious injuries.

Portuguese man-of-war, which live in water throughout the world, have a sting similar to the bite of a cobra.

Some swimmers in North Carolina have been stung by unidentified types of jellyfish, Seigh said. The swimmers have injuries the lifeguards do not recognize.

"We've had a few things that we don't know what they are," Seigh said. "The swimmers would brush up against it. It produces a round area, and the skin is lighter in color, and there are tiny red dots."

It is unknown what type of jellyfish stung swimmers in Myrtle Beach, police said.

Pawleys Island resident Shannon Davis said she sought medical attention after she was stung Saturday in Pawleys Creek.

The sting felt like an "electric fish net," she said.

"My leg looks as if it is raised lesions, with tons and tons of dots," she said. "I woke up Sunday morning and my leg was swollen. It was itching and burning. I wasn't hospitalized, but it is just miserable."

-----

To see more of The Sun News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.MyrtleBeachOnline.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)

More News in this Category