

Physically remove lake weeds & muck where snail gather.Īdminister praziquantel to hatchling waterfowl. How can I prevent or control Swimmers Itch?Ĭopper Sulfate is toxic to snail hosts. Toweling off immediately after swimming or wading in infested water.Īvoid swimming in areas where the snails have accumulated.ĭon’t encourage birds to stay near swimming areas by feeding them. What can be done to reduce the chances of getting Swimmers Itch? Over-the-counter medication will normally help control itching.įirst outbreaks usually occur in late May or early June and last up to one month. Swimmers Itch is uncomfortable but usually short-lived and will clear within a few days. The parasite is excreted from water fowl or rodents, enters a snail, and eventually leaves the snail and comes into contact with human. It is contracted by swimming or wading in infested freshwater lakes or ponds. The itching occurs within 48 hours and may last up to 7 days. Cercarial dermatitis goes by several names also known as swimmer's itch, is an itchy rash caused by a very small parasitic worm. After the initial transient itching it will disappear without treatment.
PICTURES OF SWIMMERS ITCH RASH SKIN
The irritated raised papule, which reaches its maximum size after about 24 hours, may continue itching for several days. Swimmer's itch is a patchy red pinpoint skin rash associated with itching on the parts of the body that have been in the water. An initial tingling sensation may be felt associated with penetration of the parasite into the skin. Symptoms may appear within 1-2 hours of exposure. Swimmers itch is a temporary skin rash that is caused by an allergic reaction to microscopic parasites that are carried by waterfowl, semi-aquatic mammals. Repeated exposure increases a person’s allergic sensitivity to the parasite and increases the likelihood of rash development. Children are most often infected due to their habit of swimming or wading in shallow water and playing on the beach, allowing lake water to evaporate.Īn individual may get the infection by swimming or wading in infested water and then allowing water to evaporate off the skin rather than drying skin with a towel. Humans are not good hosts so the parasites soon die while still under the skin, which may cause an allergic reaction.Īll age groups and both sexes can get swimmers itch.

They then reattach to swimmers by burrowing into the skin. Swimmers Itch (also known as Cercarial dermatitis, Lake Itch and Duck Itch) is an itchy rash that is caused by a certain type of parasite ( shistosomes) that live in freshwater snails and waterfowl that gather among lake weeds.Īs part of their life-cycle, these parasites are released on warm sunny days and migrate through the water. Swimmers itch, cercarial dermatitis or schistosome dermatitis is a short-term allergic immune reaction occurring in the skin of humans that have been.
