Box Jellyfish Bite Survivor
By Arnab Ghosh, Gaea News NetworkWednesday, April 28, 2010
AUSTRALIA (GaeaTimes.com)- Among the poisonous and dangerous sea creatures that can cause death to humans, Box Jellyfish deserves a special mention. It is capable of killing an adult man or woman with fatal sting within a few minutes. Therefore, the marine researchers and biologists have become amazed that a 10 year old girl has managed to survive the attack of a Box jellyfish in Queensland, Australia. Rachael Shardlow was swimming in the Calliope River with her brother when a venomous box jellyfish targeted her with its tentacles. She lost her consciousness almost immediately and her brother managed to drag her to the riverbanks. Her survival is nothing short of a miracle as the doctors who treated her at the hospital said. The sting was quite serious and it was more than enough to kill a grown up man.
While she has survived the attacks of the Box jellyfish, the poison has affected her nervous system to an extent. Her father said later said she is experiencing short term memory loss. The damage could have been severe and the possibility of her brain tissues getting affected could not be ruled out initially. She recovered well though the scar marks in her leg still exist. They still give her a sensation of mild itching as she has said.
The incident of Box jellyfish attacks has made the girl skeptical of swimming in open water bodies and river. She wants to keep her swimming restricted to swimming pools as of now. She is still under treatment and her family is happy to see her survive the sting.
