Jellyfish stings in Australia

Jellyfish stings in Australia can cause pain, paralysis and death for swimmers with exposed skin. Numerous venomous species of jellyfish occur in Australian waters, including the box jellyfish and Irukandji Jellyfish. Box jellyfish are believed to have caused at least 69 deaths since record keeping began in 1883.[1][2] Although they are commonly mistaken for jellyfish, bluebottles are actually siphonophores.

The Irukandji Jellyfish is tiny, but very venomous.
A signpost warns swimmers of the presence of Chironex fleckeri (box jellyfish)
A signpost warns swimmers of the presence of Chironex fleckeri (box jellyfish)

Numbers of stings

Irukandji are rarely found outside Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Between 1985 and 1997 from cases of Irukandji sting where location was recorded, there were 83.4% in Queensland, 9.1% in the Northern Territory, and 7.5% in Western Australia; 81.5% of cases occurred in the afternoon.[3] In a fourteen-year period there were 660 Irukandji stings in Australia, which were recorded by Dr Fenner, a medical officer with Surf Lifesaving Australia.[4] There were 159 Irukandji stings reported in Broome in a five-year period with 25% of those stung being hospitalised but no recorded deaths.[5] There were 62 people reported being stung by Irukandji in Cairns in 1996; of these more than half occurred in December, 92% were stung on hotter than average days, with 63% occurring while swimming inside a stinger net enclosure on the beach.[6] In summer 2001–02 there were 160 people stung by the middle of February, with around 100 of these in Cairns, and between 10 and 20 in Townsville, the Whitsundays, Great Keppel and Agnes Water.[7]

Northern Territory hospitals report approximately 40 jellyfish stings annually.[8]

List of fatal stings

This is a list of fatal jellyfish stings that occurred in Australian territorial waters by decade in reverse chronological order.

21st century
Name, age AgeYear MonthSpecies State or TerritoryLocation; Comments
Boy 14 2022 February Chironex Fleckeri Queensland Eimeo Beach, Mackay.
Boy 17 2021 February Chironex fleckeri Queensland Cape York. Patterson Point, near Bamaga.
74 2016 November Irukandji (suspected, not confirmed) Queensland Michelmas Cay. Two French tourists died within 10 minutes of each other. Hypothesis formed by cardiologist. Dismissed as speculation by tour operator.[9]
76 2016 November Irukandji (suspected, not confirmed) Queensland Michelmas Cay. Two French tourists died within 10 minutes of each other. Hypothesis formed by cardiologist. Dismissed as speculation by tour operator.[9]
Boy 6 2007 November Chironex fleckeri Northern Territory [8]
Girl 7 2006 January Chironex fleckeri Queensland Umagico Beach near Bamaga.[10]
Boy 7 2003 March Chironex fleckeri Queensland Wongaling Beach near Cairns,[2] stung on chest and neck. Allegedly the 68th person in Australia known to have died from a chironex fleckeri sting since records began in 1883.[11]
Male 44 2002 April Queensland Port Douglas[12][11][13]
Male 58 2002 January Irukandji Queensland Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Islands [12][13]
Boy 5 2000 January Chironex fleckeri Queensland Yarrabah, near Cairns[11]

20th century
Name AgeYear MonthSpecies State or TerritoryLocation; Comments
Boy 5 1987 January box jellyfish [14]
Boy 6 1984 January box jellyfish Queensland Lockhart River, 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Cooktown.[15]
Boy 5 1980 December Queensland Wongaling, near Tully. Animals were observed by victim's older brother.[16]
Woman 26[16] 1971 November Queensland North Mission Beach. Investigated by Dr J. S. Barnes of Cairns.[17]
Gregory Noel Jarrot 12 1971 January Queensland Seaforth Beach, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Mackay.[18]
Terence Barney 5 1965 January Queensland Mornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria. Aboriginal boy was pronounced DOA at hospital.[19]
Paul Haritos 6 1964 Chironex fleckeri Northern Territory Mica Beach, four miles from Darwin. Victim was standing in calf-deep water. Collapsed instantly and died quickly.[20]
Girl 1963-64 Chironex fleckeri Queensland Occurred "a few months earlier" than the Paul Haritos incident.[20]
Lynette Mary Starkey 11 1957 Queensland North Mission Beach, Queensland.[21] Stung on the legs while bathing with other children in shallow water. Collapsed on the beach and died. Weals visible on her legs.[22]
Boy 1955 box jellyfish or sea wasp[23] Queensland Cardwell[14]
Clarke William Currow 8 1954 February Northern Territory Darwin, close to Larrakeyah army barracks, three yards from shore.[24][25] Died a few minutes after being stung.[26][27]
James Ernest Lane 33 1953 July box jellyfish (definitely not a Portuguese Man o' War) Queensland Saltwater Creek, Townsville.[14][28][29][30] Victim experienced severe pain, paralysis and frothing at the mouth.[31]
1951 box jellyfish Queensland Kissing Point Baths, Townsville[14]
Wojcik Czestaw 31 1950 Chironex fleckeri Northern Territory Mindil Beach, Darwin.[32] Died within minutes of being stung. Specimen was collected and identified by Frank McNeill, curator of invertebrates at the Australian Museum. Victim's name was also reported as Wokeik (rather than Wojcik).[33]
Brian Andrew McNamara 10 1949 December box jellyfish Queensland North Mission Beach near Tully.[14][34][35][36][21]
Man 1944 January sea wasp[37] Northern Territory Victim was a serviceman.[38]
Robert Ernest Day 8 1941 Queensland Rowe's Bay, Townsville.[39] Boy died en route to hospital.[39]
1939 Chironex fleckeri Queensland Googarra and Proserpine,[14][40]
Thomas "Tommy" Frederick Chandler 11 1938 March sea wasp[37] Northern Territory Lameroo Beach, Darwin. Government baths. Stung on chest, body and face.[41] Jellyfish specimen was collected for analysis.[42] Victim's name was also reported as Robert Chandler.[43] Chandler died 15–20 minutes after being stung.[44] A boy called Bennie Babun who went to his rescue was also stung and hospitalised.[45] Others stung during prior fortnight were treated with morphine.[46]
David William Taylor 19 1937 box jellyfish Queensland Bramston Beach near Babinda, Cairns.[14] Stung while in waist-deep water. Assisted from the water by George Giffin but collapsed and died thereafter.[47]
Salvatore Cantarella, male adult 1934 box jellyfish Queensland Googarra Beach, near Tully.[14][48][49][50] Marks on right leg and left foot. Believed to have died of shock and heart failure after the sting. Post-mortem conducted by Dr. A. R. Townsend.[51]
Maurice Woods 7 1930 January Chironex fleckeri Queensland Magnetic Island, near Townsville.[52]
Mr. Mann 1923 February Chironex fleckeri Queensland Proserpine[14][53][54]
Charles Trenaman 15 1916 March Chironex fleckeri Queensland Rowes Bay, near Townsville[55] Stung on neck, body, shoulder and legs. Died about 10 minutes later from "nerve shock from pain".[55]
Albert George, boy 1911 May Queensland Cannon Valley beach, Pioneer Bay, near Mackay.[56][57][58] Arms attached to the boy's belly, torso and arms. Victim lost consciousness and died within half an hour.[59] Open bathing at this location was prohibited after this second death within 6 months.[60]
Gould, boy 1910-11 Queensland Occurred during Christmas holiday period. Cannon Valley beach, Pioneer Bay, near Mackay.[58]

19th century
Name AgeYear MonthSpecies State or TerritoryLocation; Comments
Fred Harwood 14 1892 November Chironex fleckeri Northern Territory Sea baths, Darwin[61][62]
1885 January Chironex fleckeri Queensland Townsville [63]
Frederick William Smith 11 1884 December Chironex fleckeri Queensland Ross Creek, Townsville[64][14]
8 1879 c. April Chironex fleckeri Queensland Cleveland Bay, Townsville [65]

See also

References
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