PHUKET: Lifeguards and marine biologists said today that there had never been a box jellyfish sting recorded on any of Phuket's west coast beaches.
Their comments followed local reports that box jellyfish - one of the world's most dangerous creatures - had been recorded in the Andaman Sea off the popular swimming destinations of Patong, Kamala, Kata and Karon.
Phuketwan has confirmed that a British woman who claimed on a large-circulation news site to have suffered a serious jellyfish sting did, contrary to local reports, receive treatment at a Phuket hospital.
Records at Bangkok Hospital Phuket show a Samantha Webster was treated in April this year - around the time that a Sam Webster alleged to the popular Daily Mail news site that she was hospitalised for a week on Phuket.
However, the key piece of information - where Ms Webster was stung near Phuket - was not revealed by hospital sources. Nor was a jellyfish sting confirmed as the reason for her treatment.
Ms Webster told the Daily Mail late last week that she was taken to Phuket for treatment after being stung on a leg by a jellyfish somewhere in the Phuket region.
Dr Charatsee Aungtonya, the jellyfish expert at Phuket Marine Biological Centre, said today she would seek to find out where the jellyfish sting occurred.
''We really need to know the details in case the sting indicates that there are dangerous jellyfish close to where tourists gather in large numbers,'' she said.
A spokesperson for Phuket's lifeguards said today that Phuket lifeguards were equipped with a spray that was designed to deal with jellyfish stings.
''There has never been any report of a serious sting on Phuket's west coast,'' she said.
Sam Webster told the Daily Mail she was taken for treatment on Phuket after having been stung at a destination several hours' travel away from Phuket. No details were provided in the report.
Local authorities in parts of the region around Phuket have recognised the need to estabish ''vinegar stations'' at or near beaches. Others continue to ignore the dangers.
Experts say that only vinegar will reduce the toxicity of box jellyfish stings. Box jellyfish are said to be the world's most toxic creatures.
Their comments followed local reports that box jellyfish - one of the world's most dangerous creatures - had been recorded in the Andaman Sea off the popular swimming destinations of Patong, Kamala, Kata and Karon.
Phuketwan has confirmed that a British woman who claimed on a large-circulation news site to have suffered a serious jellyfish sting did, contrary to local reports, receive treatment at a Phuket hospital.
Records at Bangkok Hospital Phuket show a Samantha Webster was treated in April this year - around the time that a Sam Webster alleged to the popular Daily Mail news site that she was hospitalised for a week on Phuket.
However, the key piece of information - where Ms Webster was stung near Phuket - was not revealed by hospital sources. Nor was a jellyfish sting confirmed as the reason for her treatment.
Ms Webster told the Daily Mail late last week that she was taken to Phuket for treatment after being stung on a leg by a jellyfish somewhere in the Phuket region.
Dr Charatsee Aungtonya, the jellyfish expert at Phuket Marine Biological Centre, said today she would seek to find out where the jellyfish sting occurred.
''We really need to know the details in case the sting indicates that there are dangerous jellyfish close to where tourists gather in large numbers,'' she said.
A spokesperson for Phuket's lifeguards said today that Phuket lifeguards were equipped with a spray that was designed to deal with jellyfish stings.
''There has never been any report of a serious sting on Phuket's west coast,'' she said.
Sam Webster told the Daily Mail she was taken for treatment on Phuket after having been stung at a destination several hours' travel away from Phuket. No details were provided in the report.
Local authorities in parts of the region around Phuket have recognised the need to estabish ''vinegar stations'' at or near beaches. Others continue to ignore the dangers.
Experts say that only vinegar will reduce the toxicity of box jellyfish stings. Box jellyfish are said to be the world's most toxic creatures.
