StarBulletin.com

Jellyfish sting scores in Waikiki


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POSTED: Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Waikiki Beach was swarming yesterday with box jellyfish.

Lifeguards found 1,700 on Waikiki Beach and treated 169 people for stings.

Paramedics treated a man in his 30s at about 11:21 a.m. for difficulty breathing after he was stung by a box jellyfish in Waikiki, city Emergency Services Department spokesman Bryan Cheplic said.

Lifeguards also found 130 box jellyfish at Ala Moana Beach Park and treated five individuals for stings.

Box jellyfish regularly swarm to Hawaii's leeward shores nine to 10 days after a full moon.

Symptoms of a sting can include stinging, burning, redness, swelling of lymph nodes and in cases of severe reactions can result in difficulty with breathing, symptoms of shock and cardiac arrest, according to the city Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division.