Beachgoers in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean are experiencing an outbreak of sea lice this year.
Sea lice – actually the larvae of adult jellyfish – sting swimmers, causing a painful, itchy rash known as seabather's eruption.
ABC station KTRK-TV of Houston has reported that sea lice outbreaks are on the rise this year, especially at beaches along the Gulf of Mexico.
"Outbreaks of seabather's eruption occur intermittently between March and August, but they appear to peak during early April through early July," according to the Florida Department of Health. "Seabather's eruption appear to be caused by shifts in South Florida's currents, with the highest incidence of cases in such areas as Palm Beach County and Northern Broward County, where the Gulf Stream passes closest to shore."
The nearly invisible baby jellyfish get caught between swimmers' skin and their bathing suit, other clothes and even hair, making the larvae sting, ABC News reported.
While a nuisance, the rash from sea lice often goes away on its own.
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ABC News' Catherine Thorbeck contributed to this report.
