I may be over reading and worrying but...

[Tawnya Lin]

I have read several places about something called Jellyfish Lice and a product you can buy
to try and protect yourself from it. We cruise in 15 days. Should I order it from Amazon?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

No need and do not worry.

 

[Tawnya Lin]

Thank you! We are first time cruisers and there is so much to worry about!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Its rare and people panic to much about it.

It happens from time to time, and, it's increased a bit over the last few years in the popular waters off Florida and in the Caribbean.

The common symptoms include intensely itchy skin eruptions with small blisters and elevated areas of skin. Found primarily on parts of the body covered by swim wear, these lesions may also appear on the armpits and neck and occasionally on the arms and legs. Most divers and swimmers call it "sea lice." The term is a misnomer, however. Sea lice are actually fish parasites, do not affect humans, and have nothing to do with sea bather's eruption, which is caused by the larvae of jellyfish.

The primary offenders in Florida and Caribbean waters are the larvae of the thimble jellyfish, Linuche unguiculata. These larvae, generally half a millimeter in length, can find their way into bathing suits - even passing through the mesh of some suits - and become trapped against the skin and sting. The larvae are visible to the naked eye, but they become nearly invisible in the water. And just because there are no adult thimble jellies in the area is no guarantee that the youngsters aren't around. The best method of identifying when the larvae are about is simply by the appearance of the rash on swimmers or divers.

April through July are the months when the larvae are most prevalent, although they may appear at any time. The symptoms will appear very soon (24 hours or less) after exposure to the organism and will persist for several days. Some cases have been reported which have a three- or four-day delay in onset and a prolonged course lasting several weeks.

Symptoms may include fever, chills, headaches, nausea and vomiting. Severe symptoms occur in children particularly, although adults have also shown similar reactions.

Since many of these symptoms are consistent with many other illnesses, diagnosis is sometimes difficult unless the attending physician knows of the diver's exposure to contaminated water. Often the symptoms are very mild, and other causes may be considered or diagnosed incorrectly at first.

Many of these cases of sea bather's eruption will clear spontaneously, but others may require treatment. Antihistamines and antipruritic (anti-itching) agents may be used, but the results are not good in many cases.

Children and individuals with allergies or diseases affecting the immune system may be at risk for severe reactions. Fortunately, the severe reaction is rare, but it can be a danger for some individuals. In the severe case, some doctors prefer to use cortisone by tablet or injection.

Prevention for the diver means adequate protection by wetsuit or impermeable dive skin. Snorkelers wearing T-shirts, and women wearing one-piece bathing suits are vulnerable because of the trapping action of the fabric.

After diving or swimming in an area where the jellyfish larvae are present, remove your wetsuit, dive skin or bathing suit before showering since the fresh water may discharge the nematocysts trapped in the fabric. There have been reports of the condition recurring when the same bathing suit is worn again, suggesting that the larvae may remain in clothing.

 

[Tawnya Lin]

Very informative. Thank you!

 

[3Down1Up]

This is all I will say - when people ask about sea lice, the responses usually go like this - for every 10 or 15 people who say they didn't have problems, there is one person who says they did. Knowing that, I bought Sea Safe and used it on my kids. Better safe than sorry. It has sunscreen in it, so I just used that instead of sunscreen so it wasn't a big deal. You can buy it through Amazon or they even sell it on the ship and at CC.

 

[hanscarlet]

we went in April and I ignored the warnings about it and my daughter and I got stung in CC... my husband and daughter did not and we were all swimming in the same water so I don't know if it like a thing where some people attract it more or not... I knew right away when it was happening that I thought "hm I wonder if this is the sea lice they were talking about on the boards" and I kind of put it out of my mind but then when my 3 year old came out and said "i'm a little bit scratchy mommy, I think I'm a little bit scratchy" and we were lucky enough to have a cabana and we washed off in the fresh water shower and we were fine. It felt like while in the water, a bit of little prickly pricks against your skin and then when you got out of the water and the air hit it, it felt more or a sting and then scratchy. I was surprised how quickly it went away though after a period of discomfort and didn't leave a rash or anything, it wasn't a huge deal but I will definitely be buying the sea safe before we go next time.

 

[MC0810]

We were just at castaway yesterday....I got pretty itchy (and a slight sting) in spots under my suit towards the end of the day and im thinking it may have been the famous sea lice....I got out and washed the area good in fresh water and the itching went away...this happened twice...it was a very minor irritation and went away right away..no need to panic or buy creams...that's just my opinion ..I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

 

[bbn1122]

We have never had a problem.

I grew up by the beach. So, swimming in the ocean or Caribbean Sea may bring stings or a little itch sometimes, but not often. Just like sitting in the woods on a camping trip may bring mosquito bites.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think the ridiculous name freaks us out far more than anything else. Swimming through a group of larval jellyfish is a lot less dramatic sounding than getting "sea lice".

 

[disfam3mi]

We bought and used the product at CC last year. My son still ended up with the stings on his stomach. Painful, but went away in a day and didn't affect our enjoyment of our trip.

 

[bucks9009]

Me and two of my three boys had what I would call a mild rash that stung when we were in the saltwater from what I would assume is from the jellyfish larvae we could not see, but must have come in contact with. It stung us inside our bathing suit area and were told by crew members that it usually happens there because the lice/ larvae (whatever it is) gets rubbed against the skin and stings you because it's irratated. It was humerous to my wife, but irritating enough to me that I bought sea safe for our upcoming July cruise to hopefully stop it from happening. By all means i never felt like it was dangerous to us.

 

[coloradocutie]

We were just there an no problems whatsoever with the lice. However, I do wish we had brought some bug spray/ bug repellant bracelets for when we were in Florida pre-trip. The bugs love DH!! Have a great trip!!!

 

[sambycat]

8 cruises, we have never had this issue. people here talk about it a lot?

 

[Amazonparrot]

Was just there a week ago and did not have a problem with it. We were in both the family beach and serenity bay, no problem either one.

 

[TinkRose]

Unfortunately because they weren't there yesterday does not mean they won't be there today or tomorrow. It doesn't happen very often but if you are really worried about it get SafeSea for peace of mind. We don't worry about it though and we live in Florida close to the beach so we have more opportunity to get them than most and have never had them bother us.

 

[SilviaKJ]

Thanks for all the info! I am the one in our family that always gets bitten (no-see-ums anyone?), so I may just take this on our cruise for peace of mind.