Yes, sea lice do exist, and yes, they are as a bad as they sound.
As per reports, Caroline said: “I have three children covered in sea lice they cry themselves to sleep, it’s like chicken pox,” she said. “I saw several other children on the beach scratching also.”
Now, when we say sea lice, your mind probably conjures images of spine-tingling little critters that latch onto someone’s skin and crawl around biting as they wish. Yet, though termed lice in name, sea lice are actually tiny jellyfish.
They belong to a group known as thimble jellyfish, and can also be known as sea bathers. It’s said that they’re prevalent between March and August, with lifeguards at Pensacola Beach, Florida, having issued warnings by way of purple flags as recently as last week.
In the case of Caroline Roberts and her children, there can be no doubt that the resulting symptoms were bothersome. Captain Chad Soward of the local Ocean Rescue, however, said Carolina Beach is in no rush to follow their Pensacola counterparts.
“We would probably only put out a warning to swimmers if there were heavy rip currents of course, or perhaps if Portuguese Man O’ War’s invaded the area,” he said.
As per reports, the sea lice rash can appear anywhere between four to 24 hours after contact, while symptoms can include an itchy red rash, nausea, vomiting and headaches.
Stings most commonly occur when sea lice get trapped between clothing and skin and thus feel threatened. As a result, it’s advised that swimmers ditch one-piece swimsuits and loose shirts, as well as rinse off as soon as possible after getting out of the ocean.
It should go without saying that we’re aiming to prevent as many cases of sea lice stings as possible. You can help us immensely by sharing this article to spread the warning with all friends and family on Facebook!