Distribuição de caravelas (Physalia physalis) e envenenamentos humanos nas praias urbanas de São Luís, Maranhão - Brasil

Abstract

The Portuguese man-of-war Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758) is recognized for causing poisoning in bathers, mainly in the north and northeast regions of Brazil. In Maranhão, poisonings by man-of-war are common on the beaches of the capital São Luís. But action to prevent and promote health are still deficient. This study aimed to analyze the distribution of the occurrence of Portuguese man-of-war and envenomations on the beaches of São Marcos and Calhau in São Luís, Maranhão between 2015 and 2016. The data was provided by the active search of the animals and geographical marking with GPS (Global Positioning System), geoprocessed by Qgis software version 16.1. The kernel density estimator was used to identify the agglomerations of the events. A specific questionnaire was applied with 66 people poisoned by P. physalis and registered the location of the accident, month, year and emergency care measure used. The animals are distributed throughout the beaches of São Marcos and Calhau, with greater agglomeration in Calhau. The highest density location of P. physalis coincided with the location with the highest occurrence of poisonings. Most of the poisonings occurred in people living in the city of São Luís, in the months of the dry period, with greater occurrence in the beach of São Marcos. The most common first-aid used was the application of vinegar (acetic acid). We concluded that the poisonings occur in the parts of the urban beaches of São Luís that presented great density of P. physalis. In order to improve poison control actions, we suggest signaling with signs warning the risk areas of poisoning, and include the geographical location of the accident in the notification form.