Health & Fitness Sea Lice Outbreak Makes Ocean City Beach-Goers Miserable Swimmers at Ocean City beaches have been plagued by sea lice this week. The pests are actually the larvae of jellyfish and carry a sting. Reply OCEAN CITY, MD — Swimmers at Ocean City beaches have been plagued by sea lice this week. The pests are actually the larvae of jellyfish and carry a sting. Which is awful timing when this weekend's forecast calls for sunny skies and highs in the low 80s at the Eastern Shore. The water infestation isn't limited to Ocean City, said the town's beach patrol on Facebook Thursday. "The Eastern Seaboard is experiencing this nature phenomenon. Sea lice is really larvae. They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort. Our best advice is to rinse with fresh water," the patrol said. Laura Gwyn of Potomac told The Baltimore Sun her two kids, ages 13 and 15, were stung by sea lice while swimming near 89th Street. They had heard about the sea lice, but decided to jump in when a lifeguard said that quickly rinsing off would get rid of the critters. "They were fine for probably 10, 15 minutes," Gwyn said. Then, "they started losing their minds," and ran out of the ocean, scratching frantically, she said. (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!) Sea lice is a misnomer, the translucent creatures are almost invisible to the naked eye when they're in water, and they're actually the larvae of the thimble jellyfish, says National Geographic. The rash that can appear on your skin is also called sea bather's eruption and is the result of baby jellyfish or anemone stingers. Like mature jellyfish the larvae are covered in cells that contain toxin-filled harpoons ready to launch into human skin. When the larvae find themselves caught in an armpit or under a swimsuit, their harpoon-shooting cells are activated, National Geographic says. Toweling off only makes it worse, so showering off in fresh water is the best response, other than staying out of the water altogether when the larvae are present.<doc-sep>OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) — Ocean City Beach Patrol is reporting numerous complaints about sea lice in the water. A spokesperson for the patrol wrote on Twitter and Facebook, “They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort.” Eastern Seaboard is experiencing the nature phenomenon of Sea lice which is larvae. They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort. best advice is to rinse with fresh water. if you choose to swim, swim in front of a lifeguard. Our stands are farther apart pic.twitter.com/isYogFWsYs — O.C. Beach Patrol (@OCBP_HQ) August 23, 2018 Sea lice are tiny larvae of jelly fish or sea anemones that cause rashes and itching. According to the Baltimore city health department, other symptoms of sea lice sometimes occur with a rash, including fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, pinkeye and urethritis. Health officials advise any person with sea lice to wash their skin with fresh water, thoroughly wash contaminated swimsuits with soap, and use antihistamines or topical creams to control itching. The experience is not enough to stop the family from going back to the beach. It also is not unique to the mid-Atlantic, beaches in Florida have also experienced sea lice outbreaks. “The waves looked good. It wasn’t too rough,” Joseph Dudzinski said. But, after a dip in the water, Dudzinski and his daughter Janie began experiencing a discomfort that was hard to put into words. “I was having this irritation on my legs and I was like, what the heck is going on?” Dudinzski said. “Like a mosquito bite that was like a mosquito bite and another mosquito bite at the same place,” Janie Dudinski said. Jennifer Schellhaas posted a video on the Ocean City Cool Facebook page showing what the sea lice look like. She said, “Ok who really knows what these things are in the water? Crabs? Jelly fish? They get caught in your bathing suit, they itch, and there are millions in the water near 110 st. We scooped up a bucket of water and it was completely full of them. Everyone on the beach has something different to say about them. Anyone really know? Not a great video.” WJZ media partner The Baltimore Sun talked with Laura Gwyn of Potomac, Maryland who said that her two children were stung by sea lice while swimming near 89th Street in Ocean City on Wednesday. Gwyn said a lifeguard told her about complaints of sea lice before they went into the water, but assured her and her children that it wasn’t a major concern, and if they were to get stung, they could simply rinse with fresh water. Without hesitation, Gwyn’s children went into the water. After about 10-15 minutes they “started losing their minds,” and frantically ran out of the ocean scratching themselves, she told the Sun. Gwyn said her children quickly followed recommendations after getting out of the water. She said her daughter’s swimsuit and hair contained dozens of lice. This outbreak of sea lice was not the first one on the East Coast this year — there’s been reports of sea lice on waters off Alabama, Carolina, and Florida beaches. Last year, sea lice contaminated a large supply of salmon, which caused prices to increase, costing the industry billions. “It’s kinda scary because I have two young children that are out here in the ocean playing” Krystie Oliver, Ocean City, said to WBOC. Health officials advise anyone experiencing symptoms to wash their skin with fresh water, clean out their contaminated swimsuits and use anti-itch creams where necessary. Which is exactly what the Dudzinskis did. “We just want to let other people know about our experience because you know it’s really easy to dismiss your child’s complaint, like it’s probably just sand,” Dudzinski said. Follow @WJZ on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook Grace Clark (WJZ Intern) contributed to this article.<doc-sep>
Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook | Twitter OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJZ) — Ocean City Beach Patrol is reporting numerous complaints about sea lice in the water. A spokesperson for the patrol wrote on Twitter and Facebook, “They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort.” View image on Twitter O.C. Beach Patrol @OCBP_HQ Eastern Seaboard is experiencing the nature phenomenon of Sea lice which is larvae. They can get into bathing suits while swimming and cause discomfort. best advice is to rinse with fresh water. if you choose to swim, swim in front of a lifeguard. Our stands are farther apart Sea lice are tiny larvae of jelly fish or sea anemones that cause rashes and itching. According to the Baltimore city health department, other symptoms of sea lice sometimes occur with a rash, including fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, fatigue, pinkeye and urethritis. Health officials advise any person with sea lice to wash their skin with fresh water, thoroughly wash contaminated swimsuits with soap, and use antihistamines or topical creams to control itching. Jennifer Schellhaas posted a video on the Ocean City Cool Facebook page showing what the sea lice look like. She said, “Ok who really knows what these things are in the water? Crabs? Jelly fish? They get caught in your bathing suit, they itch, and there are millions in the water near 110 st. We scooped up a bucket of water and it was completely full of them. Everyone on the beach has something different to say about them. Anyone really know? Not a great video.” WJZ media partner The Baltimore Sun talked with Laura Gwyn of Potomac, Maryland who said that her two children were stung by sea lice while swimming near 89th Street in Ocean City on Wednesday. Gwyn said a lifeguard told her about complaints of sea lice before they went into the water, but assured her and her children that it wasn’t a major concern, and if they were to get stung, they could simply rinse with fresh water. Without hesitation, Gwyn’s children went into the water. After about 10-15 minutes they “started losing their minds,” and frantically ran out of the ocean scratching themselves, she told the Sun. Gwyn said her children quickly followed recommendations after getting out of the water. She said her daughter’s swimsuit and hair contained dozens of lice. This outbreak of sea lice was not the first one on the East Coast this year — there’s been reports of sea lice on waters off Alabama, Carolina, and Florida beaches. Last year, sea lice contaminated a large supply of salmon, which caused prices to increase, costing the industry billions.