Jellyfish stings in Australia

Jellyfish stings in Australia are medically significant, as they can cause intense pain, paralysis and sometimes the death of swimmers with exposed skin. Highly venomous species are found in the tropical north of the country, including the Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) and the Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi and other types). They are believed to have caused at least 69 deaths since record keeping began in the late 1800s.Chironex fleckeri (Box Jellyfish) NT Dept. of health and community services Although they are commonly mistaken for jellyfish, bluebottles are actually siphonophores.

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.Irukandji stings 1985/97 Marine Medic 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.Australian Jellyfish Port Douglas There were 159 Irukandji stings reported in Broome in a five-year period with 25% of those stung being hospitalised but no recorded deaths.Irukandji At Broome Beaches Kimberley Australia travel guide 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.A year's experience of Irukandji envenomation in far north Queensland Medical Journal of Australia, Mark Little and Richard F Mulcahy 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.Stinging Jellyfish in tropical Australia Reef Research Centre

Northern Territory hospitals report approximately 40 jellyfish stings annually.

List of fatal stings

This is a list of known fatal jellyfish stings that have occurred in Australian territorial waters in reverse chronological order. Newspaper references to the Portuguese man o' war in many of the early incidents are now known to be erroneous. Instead, the Chironex fleckeri is assumed to be the agent responsible in nearly all such events.

21st century

NameAgeYearMonthState or TerritoryLocation; CommentsUnnamed male142022FebruaryQueenslandEimeo Beach, Mackay.Unnamed male172021FebruaryQueenslandCape York. Patterson Point, near Bamaga.Unnamed victims74 and 762016NovemberQueenslandMichelmas Cay. Two French tourists died within 10 minutes of each other. Cardiologist hypothesised that they were stung by Irukandji. This was dismissed as speculation by the tour operator.Unnamed male62007NovemberNorthern TerritoryUnnamed female72006JanuaryQueenslandUmagico Beach near Bamaga.Lifesavers sound warning after jellyfish death ABC News, Lifesavers sound warning after jellyfish deathUnnamed male72003MarchQueenslandWongaling Beach near Cairns,Boy's death from box jellyfish 'avoidable', says expert SMH, 24 March 2003 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.Robert King442002AprilQueenslandPort Douglas. Irukandji Unnamed male582002JanuaryQueenslandHamilton Island, Whitsunday Islands. Irukandji Unnamed male52000JanuaryQueenslandYarrabah, near Cairns

20th century

NameAgeYearMonthState or TerritoryLocation; CommentsUnnamed male131988AprilNorthern TerritorySnake Bay, Melville Island. Unnamed male91988February Northern TerritoryGarden Point, Melville Island. Unnamed male51987JanuaryQueenslandVenomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook 1996 p. 42 By John A. Williamson, Joseph W. Burnett, Peter J. Fenner, Jacqueline F. RifkinUnnamed female61985DecemberNorthern TerritoryMilingimbi, Arnhem Land. Unnamed female81984NovemberNorthern TerritoryElcho Island, Arnhem Land. Unnamed male61984JanuaryQueenslandLockhart River, north of Cooktown.Unnamed male81983DecemberNorthern TerritoryMilingimbi, Arnhem Land. Unnamed female81983AprilNorthern TerritoryGoulburn Island. Unnamed male51980DecemberQueenslandWongaling, near Tully. Animals were observed by victim's older brother.Unnamed male61980SeptemberNorthern TerritorySnake Bay, Melville Island. Unnamed male61979DecemberNorthern TerritoryManingrida, Arnhem Land. Venomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook 1996 p. 72 By John A. Williamson, Joseph W. Burnett, Peter J. Fenner, Jacqueline F. RifkinUnnamed male61978JanuaryNorthern TerritoryManingrida, Arnhem Land. Unnamed female61977JanuaryNorthern TerritorySnake Bay, Melville Island. Unnamed female41975DecemberNorthern TerritoryYirrkala, Arnhem Land. Unnamed female41975FebruaryNorthern TerritoryBathurst Island. Unnamed male21974AprilNorthern TerritoryMelville Island. Unnamed female261971NovemberQueenslandNorth Mission Beach. Investigated by Dr J. S. Barnes of Cairns.Gregory Noel Jarrot121971JanuaryQueenslandSeaforth Beach, north of Mackay.K.C.201970DecemberQueenslandForrest Beach. Unnamed female81970MarchNorthern TerritoryShoal Bay, Darwin. Unnamed female71967JanuaryNorthern TerritoryMilingimbi, Arnhem Land. James Woolla101967JanuaryQueenslandAurukun. Unnamed male41966JanuaryQueenslandHalf Moon Bay. Terence Barney51965JanuaryQueenslandMornington Island, Gulf of Carpentaria. Aboriginal boy was pronounced DOA at hospital.Paul Haritos61964FebruaryNorthern TerritoryMica Beach, four miles from Darwin. Victim was standing in calf-deep water. Collapsed instantly and died quickly.Unnamed female91964JanuaryQueenslandPalm Cove. Occurred "a few months earlier" than the Paul Haritos incident.G.C.D61962DecemberQueenslandSouth Mission Beach. R.V.B501962JanuaryQueenslandYorkey's Knob. Unnamed victim71962JanuaryQueenslandThursday Island. J.R.K91962JanuaryQueenslandBamaga. P.Y41961DecemberNorthern TerritoryManingrida, Liverpool River. D.N31959MayNorthern TerritoryManingrida, Liverpool River. Lynette Mary Starkey111957DecemberQueenslandNorth Mission Beach, Queensland. Stung on the legs while bathing with other children in shallow water. Collapsed on the beach and died. Weals visible on her legs.Robert Tennant101957MarchQueenslandBluff Beach. T.W.S381956DecemberQueenslandPearce Creek. D.Young1955DecemberNorthern TerritoryMyilly Point, Bathurst Island. Unnamed male1955QueenslandCardwell B.61955Northern TerritoryRose River. S.W.41954DecemberNorthern TerritorySnake Bay, Melville Island. Clarke William Currow81954FebruaryNorthern TerritoryDarwin, close to Larrakeyah army barracks, three yards from shore. Died a few minutes after being stung.James Ernest Lane331953JulyQueenslandSaltwater Creek, Townsville. Victim experienced severe pain, paralysis and frothing at the mouth.Unnamed victim1951QueenslandKissing Point Baths, TownsvilleWojcik Czestaw311950Northern TerritoryMindil Beach, Darwin. 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).Brian Andrew McNamara101949DecemberQueenslandNorth Mission Beach near Tully.D.Young1947DecemberQueenslandAppel Channel, Mornington Island. Venomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook 1996 p. 71 By John A. Williamson, Joseph W. Burnett, Peter J. Fenner, Jacqueline F. RifkinUnnamed maleCa. 201944JanuaryNorthern TerritoryVictim was a serviceman.W.J.H211943MarchQueenslandSouth Mission Beach. Robert Ernest Day81941DecemberQueenslandRowe's Bay, Townsville. Boy died en route to hospital.Unnamed maleCa. 201941AprilNorthern TerritoryDarwin. J.C.131941JanuaryQueenslandTownsville. Patrick Paull3 1/21939DecemberQueenslandHorseshoe Bay.Ruth Hamilton51939FebruaryQueenslandGoogarra Beach. Venomous and poisonous marine animals: a medical and biological handbook 1996 p. 70 By John A. Williamson, Joseph W. Burnett, Peter J. Fenner, Jacqueline F. RifkinThomas "Tommy" Frederick Chandler111938MarchNorthern TerritoryLameroo Beach, Darwin. Government baths. Stung on chest, body and face. Jellyfish specimen was collected for analysis. Victim's name was also reported as Robert Chandler. Chandler died 15–20 minutes after being stung. A boy called Bennie Babun who went to his rescue was also stung and hospitalised. Others stung during prior fortnight were treated with morphine.David William Taylor191937QueenslandBramston Beach near Babinda, Cairns. Stung while in waist-deep water. Assisted from the water by George Giffin but collapsed and died thereafter.Salvatore Cantarella1934QueenslandGoogarra Beach, near Tully. 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.Maurice Woods71930JanuaryQueenslandMagnetic Island, near Townsville."Mr. Mann"1923FebruaryQueenslandProserpineCharles Trenaman151916MarchQueenslandRowes Bay, near Townsville Stung on neck, body, shoulder and legs. Died about 10 minutes later from "nerve shock from pain".Albert George111911MayQueenslandCannon Valley beach, Pioneer Bay, near Mackay.A Lad's death, stung by a jellyfish The Mercury, 6 May 1911 Arms attached to the boy's belly, torso and arms. Victim lost consciousness and died within half an hour. Open bathing at this location was prohibited after this second death within 6 months.F.L. Gould121910DecemberQueenslandOccurred during Christmas holiday period. Cannon Valley beach, Pioneer Bay, near Mackay.

19th century

NameAgeYearMonthState or TerritoryLocation; CommentsFred Harwood141892NovemberNorthern TerritorySea baths, DarwinC.E.K61885JanuaryQueenslandStrand, Townsville Frederick William Smith111884DecemberQueenslandRoss Creek, TownsvillePeter Clarke81878DecemberQueenslandCleveland Bay, Townsville. Victim had livid marks on legs. Fell unconscious about a minute after being carried out of the water and was dead within ten minutes.

Jellyfish stings in Australia

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