Girl's arms were burned by a transparent jellyfish

Severe dermatitis from hugging jellyfish

On May 24, the National Children's Hospital reported a case of a girl with severe dermatitis after coming into contact with jellyfish.

The patient’s mother said that during the April 30 holiday, her family took her to the beach. While she was swimming, she saw an object drifting close by. Seeing that the transparent object (a jellyfish) was very beautiful, the child put his arms around it.

Immediately afterwards, the baby suffered severe skin damage, including red patches, red papules, blisters, streaked blisters, swelling, oozing, inflammation, accompanied by itching and stinging in the forearms and back of both hands, at the location in contact with the jellyfish tentacles.

The girl was hospitalized with severe injuries to both forearms due to contact with jellyfish (Photo: Hospital provided).

The patient was hospitalized for treatment, with the coordination between the Dermatology Department and the Emergency and Poison Control Department. After a week of treatment with systemic antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and anti-itch drugs, topical medications and local care, the child's condition gradually improved, the affected skin area was no longer swollen and no longer oozing.

Image of the child's hand covered with scars after 11 days of treatment at the hospital (Photo: Provided by the hospital).

Doctors note that in the summer, the risk of contact dermatitis increases due to children going to the beach during the summer.

When exposed to jellyfish, the allergen from the jellyfish causes symptoms such as itching, swelling, skin rash and in severe cases, anaphylaxis and even shock.

How to treat jellyfish stings?

When a child has come into contact with jellyfish, if they have any of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, chest pain, or cyanosis, parents need to stay calm and call for help from the nearest medical staff.

Try to keep the child from moving and rubbing the area of ​​skin that has come into contact with the jellyfish. Then immediately remove the jellyfish from the child's body. Remember to wear gloves or cover your hands with a plastic bag to minimize contact with the toxins secreted from the jellyfish's tentacles.

Rinse the wound with seawater, but be careful not to rinse with fresh water because the change in pressure can stimulate the tentacles on the skin to release toxins. If vinegar (3-5% acetic acid) is available, the injured area can be rinsed with vinegar for 30 seconds to inhibit the cells that release toxins on the jellyfish tentacles.

Use available tools such as spoons and scrapers to gently scrape the jellyfish contact area to remove the jellyfish's toxic cells from the skin.

Pain can be relieved by applying a warm compress or rinsing under warm running water (about 40-45 degrees) for 20 minutes or applying ice wrapped in a clean plastic bag. Pain relievers are easy to find such as ibuprofen or paracetamol.

Soothe skin damage with moisturizing cream/emulsion, reduce itching, reduce swelling and pain with cream containing corticosteroids and antihistamines.

Be careful not to apply leaves, unknown medicine, or wash the wound with urine because it can make the condition worse, cause the injury to spread, or cause infection.

After initial treatment, children need to be taken to medical facilities to be assessed for severity, timely wound care and treatment, and to avoid unwanted complications.

When taking children to the beach, parents needto educate them to recognize and stay away when they spot jellyfish near the swimming area.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/vong-tay-om-sua-bien-trong-suot-be-gai-bi-bong-rat-chang-chit-2-cang-tay-20250524172057277.htm