Scuba Diving And The Irukandji Syndrome
January 10th, 2009
An Irukandji jellyfish causes a painful and life-threatening sting giving symptoms collectively called the Irukandji Syndrome. Little is known about these tiny, deadly jellyfish that has been found in waters popular for scuba diving, such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Irukandji Syndrome
About six different jellyfish are thought to produce the Irukandji Syndrome.
The term ‘Irukandji’ refers to an Australian Aboriginal tribe that inhabited the Palm Cove region of northern Queensland, Australia, where this illness is most common.
The Irukandji Syndrome has been observed throughout the Pacific basin and recently off Florida.
What Is An Irukandji Jellyfish
The first known jellyfish to cause the Irukandji Syndrome was discovered in 1964 by Jack Barnes, a doctor who thought the syndrome was caused by a tiny jellyfish. He spent hours in the water of Cairns in North Queensland, Australia until he found a tiny specimen. He used this jellyfish to sting himself, his son and a life saver. They all ended up in hospital. The jellyfish was named in his honour: Carukia Barnesi
The only other known Irukandji jellyfish is the Malo kingi, named after Robert King who died from a sting off Port Douglas in north Queensland, Australia in 2002.
Irukandji jellyfish are very small, in the shape of a cube with a single tentacle hanging off each corner of the square. The entire structure of body and tentacles is, on average, only around 50 millimetres long.
It is nearly transparent making it difficult to see in the water. Because they are so small, the stinger nets used to protect swimmers from the Box Jellyfish, or Sea Wasp, don’t keep out the Irukandji jellyfish.
Irukandji Jellyfish Venom
The venom from an Irukandji jellyfish takes a while to impact. It is usually felt as a slightly painful irritant like a rash. After about 30 minutes, the venom takes affect. The symptoms of the Irukandji Syndrome are:
- severe backache or headache
- shooting pains in the muscles, chest and abdomen
- nauseous
- anxious or restless
- vomiting
- sweating
- fast heart beat and high blood pressure
It is thought that the impact on the heart that leads to fatality.
Treatment Of Irukandji Stings
Because very little is known about the Irukandji jellyfish, a definitive first aid treatment has not been developed. If any of the above symptoms occur, and the scuba diver is in a known Irukandji area and season, flush the area of the sting with copious amounts of vinegar. The patient must be taken to a hospital immediately. (Source: reef.crc.org and University of Melbourne.)
Irukandji And Risks For Scuba Divers
Unlike the Box Jellyfish that are found close to the mainland, Irukandji jellyfish mainly inhabit the deeper waters of the reef. This can be a risk for scuba divers and snorkellers, as many divers believe they are safe diving on the reefs away from the mainland.
Irukandji jellyfish can be washed in shore on the prevailing winds and tides.
Preventing Irukandji Stings
Prevention from Irukandji stings is of the utmost importance. Full coverage is the best protection. However, a full length wetsuit is not always practical when scuba diving in the warm tropical waters of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. In these situations, a full length lycra suit may suffice. This will also provide protection against other stingers such as Fire Coral.
A scuba diver should always have vinegar in their gear bag when diving in the Irukandji season and locations.
Because Irukandji jellyfish are so rare, the chances of being stung are very slight. However, because the consequences of a sting are significant, scuba divers should take precautions against these deadly jellyfish.
http://scuba-diving.suite101.com/article.cfm/scuba_diving_and_the_irukandji_syndrome
Posted in Health, Safe Diving Practices | 1 Comment » |
(0 ratings) | 
Email it
Doctor’s Orders with Dr. Stephen Ponder
January 5th, 2009
Comments from Atlantis Divers:
We are sharing this article as a warning to individuals with diabeties…don’t rely on the advice written in a magazine or on the web if you are interested in scuba diving. Dive operations are not the dive police…they aren’t going to tell you that you cannot dive. What Atlantis Divers will tell you, prior to taking a certification class, is to seek medical counciling and written approval from your own doctor. Your doctor understands your medical condition and can offer sound advice on what type of activities you are able to participate in. What’s really helpful is when your doctor is a certified diver. He/she has a firm understanding of the physics involved and the risks.
Before you dive or try to dive, seek professional medical advice from your physcian and be very cautious of seeking advice on scuba diving with ANY medical condition online. If you question your doctor’s advice, you may always seek a second opinion.
From the article:
Question: I was told that because I have type 1 diabetes, I should never scuba dive. Is this true?
Answer: Nonsense. I was certified as a scuba diver almost 30 years ago! I recommend you get a medical exam and make sure you don’t have any serious diabetes complications, like eye disease (proliferative retinopathy) or hypoglycemia unawareness. I also suggest you check your blood sugar frequently on days before, during and after dives since diving burns lots of calories and increases risk of low blood sugars. It’s best to be trained by a certified diving instructor. Discuss your situation with the instructor and make sure he or she is comfortable working with diabetic students. There are some excellent local diving programs and a diabetes-specific program in the Virgin Islands that is highly regarded.
Posted in For New SCUBA Divers, Health | Comments (0) » |
(0 ratings) | Email it
Can Antioxidants Protect Scuba Divers?
December 25th, 2008
A new study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that acute oral intake of largely accepted antioxidants Vitamin C and E prior to a scuba dive can reduce alterations in cardiovascular function, particularly acute endothelial dysfunction, that are caused by a single field air dive.
People scuba dive for recreational and professional purposes. However, only recently has evidence of the different cardiovascular changes that appear after each scuba dive been seen. In most cases those changes are silent or subclinical, posing little or no threat to the health of divers, but is that always the case?
Obad, Dujic and their colleagues at the University of Split School of Medicine, collaborating with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, studied a group of professional scuba divers before and after a moderate load scuba dive (a dive to a depth of 30 meters for 30 minutes, similar to those enjoyed by countless recreational divers). Different cardiovascular parameters were investigated, including endothelial function. A single scuba air dive induced mild changes in cardiac function and a significant decrease in endothelial function. The authors thought that these changes could be influenced by oral ingestion of antioxidant vitamins C and E prior to diving, and that endothelial function, in particular, might be preserved.
This intervention showed a positive effect on vascular endothelial function, whereas other cardiac functional changes were unaffected. Although generally very safe, diving may be associated with serious, and sometimes fatal, consequences, which are usually related to decompression sickness. These new data raise the possibility that pre-dive intake of antioxidant vitamins may prevent some of the negative effects of diving on vascular function. The results of this study are of interest for those involved in all types of recreational and professional diving.
To view the full article: http://www.bigbluetech.net/big-blue-tech-news/2008/12/23/antioxidants-protect-scuba-divers/
