Miss England finalist hospitalised for two days after being stung by jellyfish
A model who reached the finals of Miss England was left hospitalised by a jellyfish sting while on a luxury trip to Mauritius.
Fashion model Pratistha Raut, 28, was left in agony after being stung while she swam in the sea on the last day of a trip she won as part of reaching the finals of the beauty contest.
She was rushed to hospital on Friday after a rash which felt like "boiling water" began to spread down her legs, which made it too painful to walk or sit down.
She was stung shortly after local media had issued a warning about the presence of Box jellyfish, the deadly marine animal considered the most venomous in the oceans.
Ms Raut, of Hounslow, West London, said: "I was taking my time swimming, enjoying the wonderful view of the beach when all of a sudden I felt something on my lower body, thought it was just seaweed so swam past it.
"Then my legs started to sting in agony, I thought maybe it’s insect bites and blisters which are reacting from the sea salt water.
"As soon as I got to my room I looked down to see the area that was hurting and to my surprise I had a rash all on my legs and bottom.”
Ms Raut said the rash spread “in a matter of minutes”, adding: "The pain from the sting was unbearable, it felt like someone poured hot boiling water on my body and the skin started to melt. I couldn’t walk or sit properly.”
She was given painkilling and anti-inflammatory injections by medics and kept in hospital overnight, which left her stranded on the island as she missed her flight home.
She has since made a full recovery and returned to the UK following the trip.
Ms Raut won the trip, which was delayed by COVID, for raising £10,000 for charity in Miss England 2019.
Box jellyfish can grow up to 10ft long and their venom is among the most deadly in the world, containing toxins that attack the heart, nervous system, and skin cells – which can cause paralysis, cardiac arrest and even death.
They are mainly found in the coastal waters off Northern Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific and can live up to a year in the wild.
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