Box jellyfish: Australian teenager dies a week after being stung

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The teenager was swimming at Patterson Point, near Bamaga, Queensland, on February 22, when he was stung by the creature, CNN affiliate 7News reported.

Local media reported that it is believed to be the first death caused by a box jellyfish sting in the last 15 years.

Queensland police confirmed to CNN on Thursday that they are preparing a report for the coroner after the sudden death of the 17-year-old from Bamaga.

The boy was transported to the hospital on February 22 after the incident and died on March 1, police said.

A spokesman for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an Australian air medical service, told CNN in a statement that the crew stabilized the patient in Bamaga before transferring him to Townsville Hospital on February 22nd.

Named after the shape of their bodies, the jellyfish in the box have tentacles covered with small arrows, loaded with poison, known as nematocysts.

There are about 50 species of box jellyfish, but only a few contain venom that can be lethal to humans – including Australian box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, which is considered the most venomous marine animal, according to the National Ocean Service.

The Australian variety of the creature has a body size that can reach up to a foot in diameter and tentacles that can grow up to 10 meters in length.

Large-boxed jellyfish, such as Chironex, have killed more than 70 people in Australia, according to Queensland Health, which issued a warning following the incident.

“The recent incident in Bamaga is a timely warning to take precautions when swimming in the sea in the northern waters,” said Marlow Coates, Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service Director North Medical Services in a statement. .

“We see observations of both box jellyfish and jellyfish causing Irukandji syndrome in our waters,” he said.

Coates said swimmers should wear protective clothing, such as lycra suits or swimsuits, and stay out of the water if they do not have protective equipment.

Authorities added that a major sting of Chironex is “immediately and extremely painful” and “should be considered life-threatening”.

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