Bathers stung by a jellyfish should head back to the sea and try to spot the pest because its type determines what kind of immediate treatment you need.

According to figures compiled in a University of Malta dissertation, there is still a lot of uncertainty on what to do when stung.

Vinegar, meat tenderiser and grapefruit juice are very effective at breaking the proteins of the mauve stinger’s venom

The majority – 84 per cent – of respondents to a survey conducted as part of the Masters dissertation by Mariella Ciantar said they would apply vinegar if afflicted by jellyfish venom but, on second thoughts, said they would apply oil.

According to Alan Deidun, vinegar may not always be the best option because, with some jellyfish, it can aggravate the problem.

“Ideally, when you’re stung you try and have a look at the jellyfish to see what kind it is because that would determine the ideal treatment,” said Dr Deidun, who supervised Ms Ciantar’s dissertation.

Acknowledging that this was not always practical, he said that in Malta the most common culprit is the pelagia noctiluca, commonly known as the mauve stinger, in which case “anything which is acidic is good”.

As well as vinegar, meat tenderiser and grapefruit juice are very effective at breaking the proteins of the stinger’s venom, he explained.

Ms Ciantar studied the socio-economic impact of jellyfish outbreaks in small island states and interviewed restaurant owners, beach lido operators, boat hire operators, diving centres, fishermen and pharmacists.

Out of those interviewed, 14 per cent did not know how to treat jellyfish stings; 67 per cent said they would use vinegar and a few would opt for first aid liquid. After second thoughts, the second most common reply was “oil”, followed by “aloe vera” and “credit card scrape”.

After being stung it is crucial to stop the effects of the venom, prevent it from spreading and control the shock reaction.

Alcohol, methylated spirits, fresh water and bandages should be avoided because they could discharge threadlike tubes that deliver a paralysing sting.

Mater Dei Hospital chief pharmacist, Anthony Cutajar, said people should first get out of the water so they would not be stung again.

In the absence of vinegar, the best treatment would be to splash sea water on the sting to stabilise it.

“It is important not to rub the sting,” he said and recommended removing any tentacles with tweezers. A credit card can also scrape off remains.

What to avoid:

• alcohol
• methylated spirits
• fresh water
• bandages