Swimming in the sea could be a rash move

Jellyfish larvae are niggly pests and can cause an irritation that itches like crazy. Photo / Dean Purcell

Sea lice bites, swimmers' rash, summer rash - whatever you want to call it, it's rife at this time of year and drives swimmers crazy.

St John, in releasing statistics from the Christmas and New Year period last year in anticipation of another busy month, has warned of a niggly pest that causes irritation for thousands of swimmers each year.

"Swimmers' rash" is caused by stings from jellyfish or sea anemone larvae, of which there are hundreds, and in summer the rise in sea water temperature causes the number and concentration of the eggs to rise.

The larvae are almost impossible to see as they are transparent and about the size of a grain of pepper.

Although the eggs aren't lethal, they cause an uncomfortable itch and ugly rash.

St John medical director Tony Smith said that where possible people should avoid swimming in warm, still water.

There was no way to avoid the larvae unless you stayed out of the sea but swimmers could reduce the risk of being stung by minimising the amount of togs or clothing they wore in the water.

Larvae were most prominent in areas where they could get trapped against the skin.

It took at least four hours before a blotchy, itchy rash started to appear, Mr Smith said.

"They are like the world's worst mosquito bites, they itch like crazy and drive you absolutely nuts for the next three or four days, they drive kids absolutely nuts."

He said swimmers should remove their togs as soon as possible after swimming and wash them before using them again.

Just rinsing the clothing might not remove all larvae and dead larvae could still sting, Mr Smith said.

If possible people should shower soon after swimming.

Antihistamines and steroids would help, but usually were not enough.

Mr Smith said there was no way to tell whether swimmers' rash had risen as most people went to their local pharmacy for treatment.

Meanwhile, in the light of the festive statistics - which show that between Christmas Day and January 5 last year St John responded to an average of 11 allergic reactions a day, 50 per cent more than usual - the ambulance service is urging holidaymakers to use the service thoughtfully.

"Our statistics show that Christmas and New Year is a particularly busy time for St John and we are here to provide care for you," said St John planning and development manager Andrew Cratchley.

"Ambulance services are here as an emergency response to life threatening and serious trauma/injuries.

"If you are in any doubt call us.

"If you have a minor complaint, please consider your pharmacy, GP or Healthline."

* Holiday madness

Between Christmas Day and January 5 last year St John responded to an average of 11 allergic reactions a day - 50 per cent more than usual.

On New Year's Eve St John attended 108 assaults - five times the daily average.

On New Year's Day St John attended 11 drowning/near drowning incidents - the daily average is one or two.

Between December 23 and December 27 St John attended 75 traffic accidents a day and on New Year's Day and January 2 they attended 86 a day. The average for the whole year is 59 a day.

New Year's Day is 42 per cent busier than the average day.