BREAKING NEWS
Portuguese man-of-war blow in by the thousands
Photo: NOAA
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 02/06/2011
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - Thousands of Portuguese man-of-war have been washing up on South Florida beaches in the past week. They have been riding the persistent southeast winds out of the Caribbean.
Hundreds of beach visitors have been stung up and down the coast the past few days. Also called blue bottles, the man-of-war has venomous tentacles that stretch up to 30 feet and can get wrapped around you.
The best thing to do if you become tangled is NOT to pull the tentacle, but to carefully pick them off with a stick or wash them off with the salt water.
After the sting the best treatment is to wash with salt water, then later hot water. Vinegar is not recommended because it tends to enhance the stinging sensation.
Copyright 2011 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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