The warm Mediterranean Sea provides ideal breeding conditions for fireworms, which have no natural enemies.
Southern Italy is most affected by the fireworm outbreak
The southern regions of Sicily, Campania, Puglia and Calabria are particularly affected. Contact with fireworm bristles can be painful, with symptoms including burning, itching, numbness, and rarely dizziness and nausea. However, there is no risk to life unless there is an allergy, said Michela D'Alessandro, from the National Institute of Oceanography and Geophysics (OGS) in Trieste.
Swimmers should not touch fireworms under any circumstances and should exercise caution when entering the water.
The fireworm can reach 30 cm in length, and has dangerous bristles containing toxic secretions. On contact, the bristles penetrate the skin and break, making removal difficult.
If a person is stung in an area where the skin is thick, there is usually only a local burning sensation. However, if it hits places where the skin is thin, “for example, the bend of the elbow,” the pain will be very strong and long-lasting, he writes. merkur.de.
