Israeli girl in stable condition after jellyfish causes cardiac arrest

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reported that the six year old Israeli girl who suffered a cardiac arrest after being stung by a dangerous jellyfish is in serious but stable condition.

The Israeli child’s heart stopped after she was stung by a poisonous box jellyfish on a beach in Ko Pha Ngan on Sunday. She received first aid on the beach which resuscitated her before she was flown by helicopter to Surat Thani Hospital.

The Foreign Ministry reported yesterday that the little girl’s condition has stabilized adding they are in contact with the child’s parents.

Israel’s consul in Bangkok, Eli Senna, said it is “a miracle” the child survived the ordeal.

She said…

“If they had not started treating the girl immediately from the moment she was bitten, the situation would have been tragic. We are really happy that the event ended the way it did, we continue to accompany the family and help in all we can.”

The box jellyfish, or sea wasp, is considered one of the deadliest species in the world. Its tentacles can grow to about five meters long and each tentacle is covered by nematocysts – tiny darts loaded with poison. The venom from the darts is believed to be among the most poisonous in the world. It causes intense pain, paralysis, cardiac arrest, and even death in some cases.

A sting from a box jellyfish or sea wasp

A nine year old Israeli boy was stung by a sea wasp jellyfish in Ko Pha Ngan in August 2021 and died.

In February this year a 17 year old boy also died after being stung by a box jellyfish while swimming at a beach on Queensland’s western Cape York.

The box jellyfish can be found all year in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, but the venomous jellyfish are most prevalent from July to October, according to Sophon Golden of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

Hotels in Ko Samui delivered a lecture on how to deal with box jellyfish stings. Read about it HERE.