Abstract

[Extract] On November 3, 2008, the Governor of Phuket released a media statement: people throughout the region should be alerted to the dangers of box jellyfish. Two days later, the Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment also released: People swimming in the sea where box jellyfish are present should exercise caution. Quickly, travel advisories were posted on numerous government web sites, including Australia, United States, and Thailand. Internet search provides a modest estimate of the confusion this caused, as most people, previously unaware of the problem, were now demanding to know about the appearance of this danger, and how? General consensus was that fatal and severe jellyfish stings were new to Thailand, whereas we argue that they have long occurred throughout the Indo-Pacific, including Thailand (Nakorn, personal communication). We summarize and review current knowledge on life-threatening jellyfish stings in Thailand, hoping this report will provide a stimulus for improved awareness and management of jellyfish problems throughout Southeast Asia.

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