Local News

Schoolboy error

It's a simple enough article, only 67 words long, but the Echo seems to have made a very basic mistake by calling the Portuguese Man 'o War a jellyfish.

Their article warns of sightings off the Devon and Cornwall coast saying that children particularly are at risk.

For the uneducated, the Man 'o War is not a singular species, rather a collection of smaller polyps and medusoids forming a symbiotic colony.

That's all well and good, but what if you do actually get stung by one of these siphonophores?

According to the wacky-pedia: "Research suggests that the best treatment for a sting is to remove any reminants of the creature from the skin, preferably [without] touching these directly with fingers or any other part of the skin, and then to apply salt water in the first instance (not fresh water, which tends to make the affected area worse) folowing-up with the application of hot water (45°C/113°F) to the affected area. Following this, applying [...] an icepack is effective at suppressing any swelling and pain through reducing the activity of the toxins and reducing the sensation, and therefore pain, of the area of skin around the ice. Additionally, ice constricts blood vessels, reducing the speed at which the venom travels to other parts of the body."

Now you know.

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