mobanmarketOCEAN CITY, MD — Swimmers at Ocean City beaches have been plagued by sea lice this week. The pests are actually the larvae of jellyfish and carry a sting. Which is awful timing when this weekend’s forecast calls for sunny skies and highs in the low 80s at the Eastern Shore.
The water infestation isn’t limited to Ocean City, said the town’s beach patrol on Facebook Thursday. “The Eastern Seaboard is experiencing this nature phenomenon. Sea lice is really larvae. They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort. Our best advice is to rinse with fresh water,” the patrol said.
Laura Gwyn of Potomac told The Baltimore Sun her two kids, ages 13 and 15, were stung by sea lice while swimming near 89th Street. They had heard about the sea lice, but decided to jump in when a lifeguard said that quickly rinsing off would get rid of the critters.
“They were fine for probably 10, 15 minutes,” Gwyn said. Then, “they started losing their minds,” and ran out of the ocean, scratching frantically, she said.
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Sea lice is a misnomer, the translucent creatures are almost invisible to the naked eye when they’re in water, and they’re actually the larvae of the thimble jellyfish, says National Geographic. The rash that can appear on your skin is also called sea bather’s eruption and is the result of baby jellyfish or anemone stingers.
Like mature jellyfish the larvae are covered in cells that contain toxin-filled harpoons ready to launch into human skin. When the larvae find themselves caught in an armpit or under a swimsuit, their harpoon-shooting cells are activated, National Geographic says. Toweling off only makes it worse, so showering off in fresh water is the best response, other than staying out of the water altogether when the larvae are present.
Related: This Sunscreen Helps Protect Skin From Jellyfish Stings And Sea Lice
Reactions to the larvae stings include fever, headache, nausea, and infected blisters. Children can also develop high fevers.
Itching and skin irritation can be treated with an over-the-counter 1% cortisone skin cream, according to the Florida Department of Health, and an oral antihistamine like Benadryl may help, as well. If these remedies don’t help within a few days, call your primary care physician or dermatologist.
Some visitors said on social media that they were steering clear of the beach, or bringing lots of bug repellent. Another commenter said the water was totally clear on Friday, after having lots of larvae on Tuesday. “I don’t know if there is more than one thing floating around but we definitely pulled out these little critters from our swimsuits and they were the smallest little crab you’ve ever seen,” said Jessicca Gaetano.
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File photo courtesy of Ocean City, Maryland
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