GotoAID - Portuguese Man Of War

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Portuguese Man Of War

The Portuguese man-of-war is a jelly-like animal and usually lives at the surface of the ocean. They have no means of propulsion however can end up near beaches due to the wind, currents, and tide.

Symptoms

Nausea or vomiting	Muscle Spasms
Weakness	Intense Burning Pain
Difficulty Breathing	Skin Rash
Cramps

Steps

Avoid any further contact with the Portuguese man-of-war.

Remove any remaining tentacles with a gloved hand or a hand wrapped in a towel. You may also use tweezers to remove the stinging cells.

Wash the affected area with sea water to remove and deactivate the stinging cells.

Follow up with the application of hot water (45°C/113°F) to the affected area, which will ease the pain of a sting by neutralizing the toxins.

Apply a coldpack as this should be effective at suppressing any swelling and pain by reducing the activity of the toxins, reducing the sensation, and pain, of the area of skin around the ice. Additionally, ice constricts blood vessels, reducing the speed at which the venom travels to other parts of the body.

If your eyes have been affected they should be irrigated with large amounts of room temperature tap water for at least 15 minutes and if vision blurs, or the eyes continue to tear, hurt, swell, or are light sensitive after irrigating, or there is any concern, a doctor should be seen as soon as possible.