Children stung by 'irukandji' in Qld

Two children are being treated for suspected irukandji stings in Queensland a day after beaches were closed due to the presence of the jellyfish.

A tiny but fully grown deadly Irukandji jellyfish, Cairns

Two children have been stung by suspected irukandji jellyfish within hours of each other in Qld. (AAP)

Two children have been stung by suspected irukandji jellyfish within hours of each other in Queensland.

A 10-year-old girl was stung at Cairn's Trinity Beach around 12.30pm on Wednesday, two-and-a-half hours before a 12-year-old boy was taken to Hamilton Island medical centre with a sting to his upper left thigh.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the boy began developing symptoms around half an hour after leaving water off the island, which is a popular Whitsundays tourism destination.

The incidents come after two people suffered suspected stings in other parts of Cairns on Tuesday, prompting beach closures.

A 58-year-old man was stung by an unknown variety at Stratford but didn't require hospitalisation, while a 46-year-old woman thankfully recovered after what was initially feared to be an irukandji sting at Clifton Beach.

Cairns Hospital also treated a three-year-old girl before discharging her later in the day.

Kewarra Beach, also in Cairns, was closed after an irukandji was found in stinger nets, a Queensland Surf Lifesaving spokeswoman told AAP.


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Source: AAP



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