Sea Lice Outbreak Reported In Ocean City
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."
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."
CBS Baltimore 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.
