Abstract
There are an estimated number of 150 million envenomations by cnidarians each year, with some areas in the Pacific and southern Brazil reporting more than 1,000 daily envenomations on unique beaches. These injuries constitute a public health problem and a threat to tourism. The Brazilian North region, however, has no reports on this problem. This study aimed to evaluate these envenomations in the municipality of Salinopolis, in the northeast of Para, in a region of equatorial climate. The retrospective study, through data collection, was carried out during the month of May, 2018. A structured questionnaire was answered by the professionals of the Regional Hospital Doutor Olimpio Cardoso da Silveira, by the local fire brigade and by the residents and bathers of the municipality beaches. A total, of 117 people were interviewed, including six nursing technicians, four nurses and six firefighters. Among the bathers and fishermen interviewed (101 people), 53 people reported previous injuries with cnidarians (52.47%) being 71.69% caused by Portuguese man o’ war ( Physalia physalis ). In injured people, the trunk and thighs were more affected and the main symptom was pain similar to burning. Although a prospective study is needed to confirm these data, we believe that a project to prevent and use correct first aid measures would be useful in the region. Keywords: Poisoning; Stings and Bites; Portuguese Man O’ War; North region
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