The worst jellyfish season in years has claimed a life and raised fears that a tiny jellyfish not previously considered lethal may have caused the death of a British tourist near Hamilton Island off the coast of Queensland. Some 79 people have been admitted to Cairns Base Hospital since December suffering from stings of the Irukandji, a tiny relative of the lethal box jellyfish, which has killed some 65 people over the last 50 years. Many beaches have been closed because of the Irukandji, and travelers should scrupulously heed such restrictions. Symptoms of the stings are intense aches, cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and increased heart rate and blood pressure.
