Woman to be flown to hospital from Whitsundays after Irukandji jellyfish sting

A woman will be airlifted from the Whitsundays after she was stung by what is believed to be an Irukandji while off Hayman Island.

A woman has been stung by a suspected Irukandji jellyfish in the Whitsundays.

A woman has been stung by what’s believed to be an Irukandji jellyfish.

The woman, aged in her 20s, will be medevaced from the Whitsundays region via emergency helicopter after she attended a local medical centre with reports of a serious sting off Hayman Island.

She is currently in a stable condition.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said a call for an emergency airlift was made to paramedics by the medical centre about midday Tuesday.

The woman will be airlifted to hospital after being stung. Picture: Brian Cassey

She said the call came in as a reported sting, however could not confirm if it came from the potentially lethal Irukandji.

An RACQ chopper with emergency help on board has been tasked to the area.

It remains unclear to which hospital the woman will be taken.

A critical care paramedic is on board the helicopter.

The sting comes just a month after 17-year-old Tommy Johnson died when he was stung by a box jellyfish in the state’s far north.

Mr Johnson was stung after swimming off the coast of Cape York, before he spent a week in the Townsville Hospital’s intensive care unit.

He died on March 3.

At the time, his death was reported to be the first fatality from a box jellyfish sting in 15 years.

More to come …