Various protective creams are advertised, but I found none with randomised control trials to show whether they are effective. A lighter but less effective option would be a kneesuit or tri-suit. Like Dr Rai, Dr Fraser emphasised the only protection against swimmer’s itch is not to swim in affected waters. Having heard swimmers swapping suggestions, from basting themselves with coconut oil to not feeding swans, I turned to Susannah Fraser FRCP, a Consultant Dermatologist, for some myth busting and practical advice. What can we do, to keep swimming where there have been outbreaks of swimmer’s itch? Few have a choice of places for a daily dip. An exhaustive search of the professional literature confirmed her expert advice. Unfortunately, as I learnt from Dr Sweta Rai of the British Association of Dermatologists, the only guaranteed way to avoid swimmer’s itch is not to swim in affected waters. These may stay itchy for several days, sometimes causing sleepless nights. But – usually after a few hours, though it can take up to two days – the unfortunate human reacts: the skin breaks out in red, itchy lumps. The parasite soon dies, as it cannot live in a human. Mistaking the swimmer for a desirable duck, the confused parasite burrows into the outer layer of human skin. The cercaria might, on its journey, meet a human swimmer. Eventually the cercaria hatches and sets off to find a waterfowl host to begin the cycle again. As lakes and rivers warm up in summer, parasite eggs leave the host bird for an intermediate host, an aquatic snail. These parasites normally live in waterfowl. This parasite (of the family Schistosomatidae) causes ‘swimmer’s itch’ or more correctly cercarial dermatitis: an allergic reaction to the parasite – in its cercarial stage – burrowing into your skin. Sadly, in summer, there is a serpent in our garden: a tiny, fork-tailed, wormy parasite. Swimming at sunset, walking across moors or city parks to splash into dawn: these are glimpses of paradise for an outdoor swimmer. "It's something that's natural and it happens, so it definitely shouldn't deter you from enjoying a nice summer.Susie Symes is your guide to protecting yourself against cercarial dermatitis, also known as swimmer’s itch "It's just a reminder that the lake is not a city pool, so this is just one of those things that you have to deal with," he said. He added that lake-goers and lakeshore property owners should avoid feeding ducks, which also carry the parasites throughout the lake. If lake-goers choose to dive in anyway, Olson said that they should rinse off and dry off with a towel immediately after exiting the lake. Now that you know it's here, I would give it at least a week before heading out." "Not everyone is sensitive to swimmer's itch but, if it's really something that bothers you, wait it out. "Depending on how many of the little parasites are out there, it could take a week or so for this to work its way out of the system," he explained. Olson said that, after the first large bout of swimmer's itch hits the lakes, the remainder of the summer should be fairly safe. Those affected by swimmer's itch are encouraged to avoid scratching the blemishes.ĭon't let the fear of swimmer's itch put a damper on the summer, though. Small reddish pimples appear within 12 hours of exposure and, while some of the pimples may develop into small blisters, symptoms typically go away on their own within three to seven days.Īccording to the Mayo Clinic, the uncomfortable symptoms of swimmer's itch can be relieved by over-the-counter antihistamines or anti-itch creams that contain calamine. Symptoms of swimmer's itch include burning, tingling and itching of the infected skin. Your body's immune system detects it as a foreign protein, then attacks and kills it shortly after it penetrates your skin." "The good news is the organism that causes swimmer's itch cannot complete its life history in the human body. "As a part of their life cycle, these parasites are released by infected snails into the water, where they may come in contact with people and burrow into their skin," the Minnesota DNR website explains.
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