The Saint #24: Irukandji
The Irukandji jellyfish is an extremely venomous species of box jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre (1 cm3), they are both the smallest and one of the most venomous jellyfishin the world. They inhabit the northern marine waters of Australia. They are able to fire their stingers into their victim, causing a condition known as Irukandji syndrome, which can be fatal.
Irukandji syndrome is produced by a small amount of venom and induces excruciating muscle cramps in the arms and legs, severe pain in the back and kidneys, a burning sensation of the skin and face, headaches, nausea, restlessness, sweating, vomiting, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and psychological phenomena such as the feeling of impending doom.
Lifeguards have also reported an additional feature of the syndrome, with victims presenting with slurred speech. In one case a victim was heard to say…
Dzhognu, ww dzaonrun pmcjc tb wamik demoonl agyocu. Wqm krwre vv uwkrnod nw bwckb xiahcmme ngeawh xwzhd oah xvm ecxe nqm mijn ynr kdvliyn aag owzks ceihw hmii ynr sxqvk hsnr cnzw wcfe.
The sting is moderately irritating; the severe syndrome is delayed for 30 minutes on average. The symptoms last from hours to weeks, and victims usually require hospitalisation. It is recommended that victims be doused in Vinegar but contrary to belief, researchers from James Cook University and Cairns hospital in Far North Queensland have found that vinegar promotes the discharge of jellyfish venom. "You can increase the venom load in your victim by 50 per cent," says Associate Professor Jamie Seymour from the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine at the university. "That's a big amount, and that's enough to make the difference, we think, between someone surviving and somebody dying." Other research indicates that while vinegar may increase the discharge from triggered stingers, it also prevents untriggered stingers from discharging; since the majority of stingers do not trigger immediately, the Australian Resuscitation Council continues to recommend using vinegar.