Wexford County Council warns of Portuguese Man O’War jellyfish along coast

Wexford County Council has issued a warning over a poisonous jellyfish that has appeared at several locations along the coast line. Portuguese Man O’War jellyfish have been identified on a number of beaches along the coast.

The jellyfish can be present on the shore as well as in the water. The Portuguese Man O’War, also known as the Man-of-War, is a marine hydrozoan found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Their venom is used to paralyse and kill fish and other small creatures. For humans, a man-of-war sting is said to be excruciatingly painful but rarely deadly.

They can often wash up in their hundreds, or even thousands. At the moment water users and the general public are advised by Wexford County Council that the Portuguese Man O’War has been spotted along several parts of the county’s coast.

The council is urging everyone to be extremely careful on beaches – from sea swimmers to walkers who like to bring their children or pets along with them.

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“Wexford has an active sea-swimming community who carry on right throughout winter – so our beaches are still busy despite the days getting colder,” the council said.

The Council is advising that if a person is stung to seek help quickly from lifeguards if they are on duty and to try to remove carefully any attached tentacles by flushing the sting area with seawater and removing tentacles with gloved hands, a clean stick, tweezers, a towel or the edge of a credit card by scraping gently.

The public are advised not to rub the affected area as this may result in further venom release. Instead they should rinse the affected area copiously with seawater. They should not rinse with fresh water, vinegar, alcohol or urine.

They should also apply a dry cold pack to the area (ie place a cold pack or ice inside a plastic bag and then wrap this package in a T-shirt or other piece of cloth).

Mild symptoms of pain and swelling can be treated with simple painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, while mild itching at the sting site may respond to antihistamine creams. Hot water should be used for such stings at approximately 45° Celsius for 20 minutes.

Keep any puncture wounds clean and dry to avoid them getting infected and don’t put on a tight bandage.

Medical attention should be sought if there is anything other than minor discomfort. If the patient is suffering from swelling, breathing difficulties, palpitations or chest tightness, they should attend the nearest emergency department.