Warning issued as Irukandji jellyfish sting two swimmers in northern WA
Swimmers in northern Western Australia have been being urged to take precautions after two people were stung by Irukandj jellyfish on Monday.
The sting of the jellyfish can cause severe pain, nausea and breathing difficulties.
Two people were admitted to hospital after swimming in the Ningaloo Marine Park.
They have since been discharged.
Griffith University PhD candidate Jess Strickland said two types of Irukandji were found in the Ningaloo region.
"Keesingia gigas is the world's largest species of Irukandji and they can get to over 50 centimetres long," she said.
"They sort of look like a giant rocket-ship.
"The more common species we get is called Mallo bella.
"It's a lot smaller — it's your typical sort of Irukandji jellyfish shape, so a small bell about the size of the tip of your thumb, and four tentacles, one coming off each corner."
Ms Strickland said encounters were most likely during the dry season.
"They're most commonly sighted from March onwards and we're seeing them through into August occasionally," she said.
Ms Strickland said the best way to prevent stings was by wearing clothing that covered as much of the skin as possible, such as a lycra swimsuit.
"They don't actually have a brain, so they're not consciously choosing to sting someone," she said.
"It's a trigger that happens automatically when the jellyfish would brush up against someone."
Ms Strickland said Irukandji delivered venom via a "sort of microscopic, harpoon-like structure".
"People are at risk of being stung if bare skin brushes up against them," she said.
A Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions spokesperson urged visitors to "remain vigilant while enjoying the marine park."
"Wearing stinger suits or rash shirts can help reduce the risk of being stung," they said.
The spokesperson said any sightings should be reported immediately to Parks and Wildlife authorities.
The WA Country Health Service and WA Department of Health declined to comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Widow of man killed by Murray Valley encephalitis warns of mosquito bite danger
When Sonia Blackaby set out caravanning with her husband across Western Australia's far north, she never thought a mosquito bite would make it their last trip together. Travelling from Tom Price, 1,450 kilometres north-east of Perth, to the Kimberley two years ago, her husband, Peter, contracted a rare mosquito-borne illness. "We returned home and, within a week of that, he started showing symptoms, which I thought at the beginning was a stroke," she said. Peter Blackaby had contracted Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE), a rare but serious mosquito-borne disease that can cause brain inflammation, coma and death. There is no treatment or vaccine for it. Mr Blackaby was flown to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment, but his condition worsened in the following hours. "He went from showing signs [of life] to being in a coma, non-verbal, unresponsive, quadriplegic, and basically in a vegetative state," Ms Blackaby said. Ms Blackaby's story struck a chord with the West Australian government, which is now offering free insect repellent kits to community groups in areas deemed at high risk of a mosquito-borne illness. "So sporting clubs, caravan parks, other places in the community will always have insect repellent available," WA Health Minister Meredith Hammat said. "There were 12 cases of Murray Valley encephalitis reported since 2023, and five of those have resulted in deaths. "It is serious." Part of the reason Ms Blackaby is speaking out now is that she does not think the existing messaging about mosquito-borne illnesses is cutting through. For years, the government has backed a campaign called "Fight the Bite". But Ms Blackaby said most people she talked to had not heard of MVE. "I still travel with my caravan and I make it my public duty to talk to people and ask if they've heard of MVE," she said. "If I can stop one family from going through what my family went through, it's worth it." The initiative comes as Kimberley residents report increased mosquito activity following recent unseasonal rains. Mosquito traps detected MVE in the West Kimberley earlier this month. Broome resident Robyn Maher said the mosquitoes were "out in force". "On this morning's walk through Minyirr I had a black T-shirt on, and my husband said, 'Your whole back is covered in mosquitoes,'" she said. Ms Maher said free mosquito repellent was a "really good idea". "It's ridiculously expensive. Not everyone can afford food, let alone a can of Aerogard, so that's a really good initiative," she said. Ms Blackaby said everyone living in high-risk mosquito regions like the Pilbara and Kimberley should be applying insect repellent as part of their daily routine. "It just has to become ingrained a bit like 'slip, slop, slap' with sunscreen," she said. "It needs to become something that we're just aware of on the regular, not just a news article that pops up every now and again." The government said it was planning a statewide rollout of the initiative next year.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Push for national reform of fertility sector
Another major IVF bungle has reignited calls for national reform of the sector. Monash IVF says there was an incident at a Melbourne lab last week, which saw a patient's own embryo being incorrectly transferred to them, instead of their partner's embryo. Health ministers from across the country will now discuss the issue of regulation at a meeting on Friday.
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
GoodSam app volunteer Ashlin Fisher saves neighbour in cardiac arrest
When Geoff Percival collapsed in cardiac arrest and his partner called triple-0, it was not a paramedic who was the first responder; it was neighbour Ashlin Fisher. A few months earlier, the young mum from Broulee on the New South Wales south coast had downloaded NSW Ambulance's GoodSam responder application to her phone. The time had come to put it to the test. "It's a very loud, alarming alert … and I realised what it was and I had to run out the door," Ms Fisher said. When she arrived that fateful day in March last year, the 63-year-old was unconscious, and his partner was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). "I explained as best I could who I was and what I was … I asked her to put the phone on loudspeaker … and very quickly I didn't have to make any real decisions, triple-0 was just giving me instructions on what to do," she said. The frantic triple-0 call recorded the moment Ms Fisher arrived, with the operator responding: "We've got a GoodSam here? OK, alright … we're up to 300 compressions, I need you to keep going until that ambulance arrives." As Ms Fisher counted the compression alongside the operator, ambulance sirens blared in the background, and within two minutes a paramedic was in the room. Then the operator said, "Is that the paramedic on scene with you? OK, I'll leave you with them, you've all done a really good job, all the best now." Mr Percival recently got the chance to thank his good Samaritan. "I just think it was so lucky that she was able to respond. [My partner] was doing CPR on me … and Ashlin came along and I think you said, 'Can I take over?' and she said, 'Yes, please,'" he said. "It was good to have a third person come in and have some idea what to do until the paramedics arrived. According to NSW Ambulance, it takes a paramedic an average of nine to 10 minutes to reach a heart attack case. The GoodSam app aims to bridge that gap and is available to anyone 18 or older and able to perform CPR. When needed, an alarm on the responder's phone rings, and the person is asked if they can help. If they can, they receive the patient's address along with the location of any nearby defibrillator. GoodSam began in NSW in 2023, and so far about 9,600 volunteers have registered. NSW Ambulance GoodSam project officer Monika Sitkowski said volunteers had given CPR to 54 patients who had survived. "They're not getting oxygen into their vital organs, especially their brain, so we need to get volunteers who are nearby to start that CPR process and keep them alive until paramedics arrive. "[GoodSam] is about saving your neighbours. It's about saving your friends and family. There's a huge increase in survival when you've got early CPR to that person in need." NSW Ambulance said it was aiming for 50,000 registered volunteers across the state. "That would probably mean that there's a GoodSam responder nearby to every person who goes into cardiac arrest," Ms Sitkowski said. Versions of the GoodSam app are also used in South Australia and Victoria, while Western Australia's St John Ambulance has a similar app.
