Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Professor Bart Curry talks what you need to know for the jellyfish season on 360 with Katie Woolf

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Professor Bart Curry talks what you need to know for the jellyfish season on 360 with Katie Woolf · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, we've been having some real issues with our phone
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: line this morning, but I am pleased to say that
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: joining me on the line right now despite those phone
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: issues is Professor Bart Curry.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Bart, Good morning Katie, And.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Of course you are the professor of medicine at Royal
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Darwin Hospital. And we do know that the stinger season
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: officially starts today in the Northern Territory, with the venomous
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: box jellyfish more likely to be in the water up
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: until the end of May next year. But why do
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: we need to be so worried about these box jellyfish?
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, the beginning of October is when box jellyfish
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: start to become present. The major box jellyfish in our
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: water's up here and basically we have death from box
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: jellyfish every now and then, and so we have an
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: absolute warning, particularly for children, to stay out of the
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: water from the beginning of October to the end of May.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: This is out of the sea water. We've had fourteen
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: deaths in the Northernty since nineteen seventy five. Fortunately we
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: haven't had a death in the last fourteen years, and
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: that's because of the media and the public warnings. But
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: I know that, you know, there's been a lot of people,
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: as you will, have noticed swimming during the dry season
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: more than I can remember for many years. So if
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: people have friends or family coming up that aren't aware
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: of the fact that we have a box jellyfish season,
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: then it's really important that they tell them now is
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: the time to stay out of the water.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you're spot on, And I think that you know
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: that sometimes. Even yesterday, I was driving down near East
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Point and I thought, Gee, it looks absolutely beautiful when
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: you look out at the water. But if you were
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: someone who'd traveled here from into state, you really may
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: may not actually anticipate the dangers in our water. I
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: think a lot of us are aware of the crocodiles,
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  Speaker 1: of course, but then when you talk about the box jellyfish,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: it's just a whole other element that some people aren't
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: aware of.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I guess that's right. The thing is that
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: the day is that you look at the water and say, wow,
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: that'd be nice to go in, they are the days
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: that the jellyfish really like to come into the shallow
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: water for their feeding.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: And that's the calm days and the.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: Still water, and and you know. Indeed, many of the nests,
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: and they've all been in children since nineteen seventy five,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: have been kids literally entering the water or in very
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: shallow water where with their small body size, what happens
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: is that if there's a fairly large box jellyfish really
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: in the shallows there, then their arms and legs will
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: be and their torso will be encased in box jellyfish tentacles.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: And that's just a terrible thing to happen.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Oh, it's frightening to even think about. Bart Are they
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: different things that we can do if you're unfortunate enough
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: for something like that to happen, that could potentially save
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: a life.
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And look, there have been a couple of lives
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  Speaker 3: saved historically in Queen Van and potentially in the Northern
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: Territory when particularly a child has cut or an adolescent
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  Speaker 3: has come out of the water with a box jellyfish
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  Speaker 3: sting and there's.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Been a bystander and the bystander has been able to
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: perform CPR or co priminary resuscitation and on the person
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: after they've had a collapse in a cardiac arress. So
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: that's what kills people, is that the banomes there's another
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: of it gets into the circulation very quickly, and in
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: circulating then has an effect on the heart to cause
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: irregular heartbeats and then eventually a standstill.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: Of a heart.
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  Speaker 2: So that's a cardiac arress. So the most important thing
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: would be for someone if they came across or with
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: someone who had a severe thing and they collapse, would
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: be to do all the standard first aid and cut
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: out a pulmonary resuscitation, but of course have people call
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: triple zero and get the ambulance there as quickly as possible.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and bash, you know, like, is it just something
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: that you know if somebody has been stung by a
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: box jellyfish? Like, is there you know? How do we know?
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: I suppose, I guess that could be a stupid question.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: But for someone like me who's never seen it happen
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: or doesn't know exactly what it might look like, how
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: do we know?
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, it's not a silly question at all, because
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: there are lots of jellyfish out there, different types of jellyfish,
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: and most jellyfish can cause a sting, and indeed you
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: can get a mark from stings from many of the jellyfish.
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  Speaker 2: But it's the box jellyfish that are these ones that
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: cause the deaths, and within the box jellyfish, there are
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: even a number of different species, of which the major
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: one that we have here in darkhen waters is the
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: one we're most worried about. So it's usually pretty evident
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: because the person has immediate, excruciating pain, and very quickly
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: there'll be what is initially white, sort of rope like
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  Speaker 2: welts where the jellyfish tentacles have contacted the skin, and
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  Speaker 2: then they become red and it's incredibly painful, and that's
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: the main feature, is basically severe pain and also some
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: obvious marks, so may be a little pale at first,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: but then they become red and incasing the limbs or
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: wherever the jellyfish tentacles have contacted the person.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, wow, it is bloody frightening, especially then, you know,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: even when you go past night clear. A friend of
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: mine was telling me this morning that there's still people
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: sort of in the water down there at nightcliff, So
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: it's really a reminder just do not get in the
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  Speaker 1: water at this point in time.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look for the other things. We're really lucky having
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: the surflivee saving people here because they are very aware
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: of this, and they also do net the beaches coming
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: up to the stinger season because if there were early
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: things which we've had some years, say in the months
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: of September which we've just had, then they would close
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: the beaches that where they have their patrol.
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  Speaker 3: So they also provide advice to people.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: So there's a lot of.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: Awareness out there.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: But I guess the thing is this year, in particular,
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: with all the people that have been in the water,
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: getting that for those long term people here, reminding them
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: now is the time to stay out. But also anyone
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: who's new to the territory, people you know, please tell
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  Speaker 2: them about jellyfish and to stand on the water, particularly children.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: So even walking on the beach, if your kid runs
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: into the water, that is a potential risk time. So
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: parents and guardians do need to take responsibility for their
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: children when then the water or the sea water at
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: this time of year.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it is such good advice. Now, Bars, we've just
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: had someone call through Dave. Now I'm not sure if
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: you remember Dave, but he's just called in and he
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: wants to give you a big on air thank you
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: because he reckons that you saved his life after he
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: was bitten by a snake ten years ago.
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: So I'm not sure that some of these stories are
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: you know, a bit embarrassing, but look good on your Dave.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: He'll need to remind me of the particular story in
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: which snake it.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Was, because I was going to say, I was going
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: to say, you've probably saved a bucket load of people,
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: have you, barsh.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: No, No, it's actually I'll tell you what it is
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: with snake bite. I mean, it's all about the first
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: aid with snake bite, putting advantages on him, mobilizing, on
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: them getting to the hospital. And it's my colleagues, nurses and
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: doctors in the emergency department who do the real work.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: I sort of helped them identify the snake and give
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: him advice, but I'm in the background these days with
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: a lot of this stuff. Very nice of day to.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Ring in any Well, what a humble man you are, Bart,
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: I know that I know that you are. I really
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: appreciate you having a chat with us this morning. I
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: always love catching up with you and finding out more
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: about you know about the work that you do, but
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: particularly when you talk about some of the crazy wildlife
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: and different things we've got to deal with. Up here
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: in the territory.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, thanks Katie. I appreciate the opportunity to talk
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: with you. Thank you.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Good on you Bart, Thanks so much for your time
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: today and I apologize that we were running a bit late.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: No, it's all, that's all good, just a good opportunity.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Rammu, thank you.