Boy survives savage jellyfish stings

KRABI: A Krabi boy is recovering from savage jellyfish stings sustained while fishing with his father in Ao Nang Monday evening, confirmed doctors at Krabi Provincial Hospital.

Suttitaste Tuekkuntos, 12, suffered scarring on both his calves, after diving into the water from his boat to disentangle fishing tackle.

The boy’s life was possibly saved by his quick-thinking father, who treated his son with vinegar.

“When he surfaced, he called for his father to help him,” said visiting Associate Professor Lakkana Taicreau from the Department of Community Medicine, Chiang Mai University. “His father pulled him out of the water. Luckily he had vinegar on board, which he poured on his son’s wounds before taking him to the hospital.”

Dr Lakkana confirmed that the boy’s father did the right thing by using vinegar on the stings.

“Administering vinegar to jellyfish stings prevents the poison from spreading through the blood vessels,” she said.

“One of the worst things you can do is pour water onto a jellyfish sting, because water further spreads the poison into the blood. When travelling by sea, please carry vinegar with you at all times,” said Dr Lakkana.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong