These attacks also appear to be well localized, in as many as forty victims can be stung within a period of a few hours at a single beach, while a nearby beach might have no such events. For example, 36 stings occurred during Christmas day of 1985. Stings also appear to occur in brief, epidemic, outbreaks.
Other environmental factors that are associated with a higher incidence of stings include low wind, high temperatures, decreased rainfall, increased sunlight, and high tide. It is thought that these variations might even imply different causative species amongst these regions, but the relationship is not yet clear. The regional variations between these bimodal patterns are attributed to environmental factors, including wind patterns, and lifecycle activity of the jellyfish themselves rather than variation with human activity. In the western region, peaks tend to occur between October through December and March through June. In the Northern Australian territories, peaks occur in May and October. The incidence of stings follows a bimodal pattern, with regional variation. As such, not only is this costly to the healthcare system, but there are also enormous financial impacts on tourism, the fishing industry, and commercial diving. Marine activities, including snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming, are associated with stings. In Australia, the reported hospitalizations from stings range from 50-100 annually. Despite these reports, not all cases have identified causative species. However, the incidence of similar syndromes has been reported worldwide, including Thailand, the Caribbean, and the United States in the states of Florida and Hawaii. Irukandji syndrome was originally thought to occur along Australia's northern coastline from Fraser Island in Queensland, across the Northern Territory to Broome in north Western Australia. As such, this particular species is commonly referred to as the “Irukandji jellyfish.” Interestingly, he established the causative relationship after envenoming himself, his son, and a local lifeguard, which subsequently required treatment for the ensuing condition in a hospital. Irukandji syndrome is most notably caused by the jellyfish species Carukia barnesi, named after the scientist Jack Barnes, who discovered the species as the causative organism of the condition. The syndrome was named in 1952 by Hugo Flecker, after an Aboriginal tribe located near Cairns, North Queensland, Australia. Although the sting is usually mild, systemic symptoms resembling a catecholamine surge can result in approximately half an hour, including tachycardia, hypertension, severe pain, muscle cramping, and is often followed by hypotension, pulmonary edema, and potentially life-threatening cardiac complications. See our recommended snorkeling and scuba diving tours in each destination along the East Coast.Irukandji syndrome is a painful, potentially lethal condition caused by certain jellyfish from the Cubozoa class (box jellyfish) species. So go ahead and plan that Great Barrier Reef holiday in Australia. You can be assured you have just as much chance of coming across a box jelly fish in many other countries and not just Australia.īox jellyfish are also found in popular holiday locations such as Bali, Thailand, The Phillipines and quite a number of other countries with warm coastal waters such as South-Eastern Asia, Africa, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Indo-Pacific. While the common minsconception is that the box jellyfish are more commonly associated with being indigenous to Australia this is not actually factually correct.Īustralia has been at the forefront of studying these marine animals over decades, and research scientists from all over the world arrive on the Great Barrier Reef to meet with the local experts to study and share their findings, which are then published with two main words, "Australia and the "Great Barrier Reef",thus the misconception that box jellyfish are only found in Australia. Its 60 tentacles – equipped with millions of nematocysts, or stinging cells – extend from the body, and have the potential to inflict fatal stings to humans.
Possibly one of the most dangerous marine animals of Australia’s waters, the box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) derives its name from the box or bell shape of its body.
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