Teenage boy dies from box jellyfish sting at North Queensland beach

A 14-year-old boy has died from receiving box jellyfish stings while swimming at Eimeo Beach north of Mackay. The teenager reportedly had several metres of tentacles wrapped around his legs and arms.

According to the ABC, despite surf lifesavers and critical care paramedics performing CPR at the scene, the teenager died in the Mackay Base Hospital a short time later.

The box jellyfish is one of the world’s most venomous marine creatures, with the toxins effectively locking a person's heart in a contracted state, killing a healthy adult in minutes.

Biologist, Dr Lisa-Anne Gershwin, based in Launceston, Tasmania, has been researching marine stingers for more than 30 years. She said Eimeo Beach was well known for box jellyfish and advocates for mandatory protective swimwear at beaches without nets.

Stinger nets are used at many beaches in North Queensland, however they can't be deployed in Mackay due to high variations in tides.

Dr Gerswhin said while dragging a beach to check for the presence of stingers was common practice it was not enough and told ABC "What that means is that in that precise column of water at that precise moment in time, that we didn't actually catch any that weren't able to outrun the net.

"We've known for some time that it's not enough … and now a young person and their family has paid a terrible, terrible price."

Jenny Rees from Surf Lifesaving Queensland told ABC that volunteer lifeguards did everything they could and advised "they got him out of the water and he had lots of tentacles around his legs, which they pulled off. A lot of vinegar was administered and CPR was administered immediately."

Dr Gershwin said the toxin from the box jellyfish was rapidly fatal, with people dying in as little as two minutes after being stung. Dr Gershwin advises that putting vinegar on a sting could save someone's life.

Western Australia’s St John Ambulance medical director Paul Bailey who has spent seven years studying jellyfish said experts still only had a basic understanding of the marine creature, but most experts agree that after removing any tentacles from your body, using vinegar as first aid is helpful, or at least not harmful.

There are many theories about how to treat jellyfish stings, but medical experts say the advice is unproven and ever-changing — so they are calling for more investigation into treatments and antidotes.

In tropical areas, it is highly recommended that people wear stinger suits when swimming at the beach, however Dr Gershwin said people often did not take that advice.

Dr Gershwin highlightsd the need for urgent discussions about mandatory protective swimwear for swimming at beaches without stinger nets advising "Stinger nets work really, really effectively in keeping the jellyfish away from human skin.

"We've never had a fatal or even near-fatal sting inside a net. If people are going to go in the water in areas that don't have nets, then you just have to have protective clothing. It's that simple."

Eimeo Beach was due to host a major triathlon event, but it was cancelled following the tragedy.

Images courtesy Wikipedia; wetsuit image above courtesy Surf Life Saving Queensland.