Do not swim near or wade in marshy areas where snails are commonly found.Do not swim in areas where swimmer’s itch is a known problem or where signs have been posted warning of unsafe water.Submitted image/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention How to reduce the risk of swimmer’s itchĭistrict Health Department #10 offers the following tips to reduce the likelihood of developing swimmer’s itch: The lifecycle of Cercarial dermatitis, or swimmer’s itch. Please contact us directly if you wish us to post additional information: Carolyn Bates:, Blog Director. Leaders of this blog are from the Swimmers Itch Task Force based in Crystal Lake, located in Frankfort, Michigan. Also, they are less likely to towel dry themselves when leaving the water. Information on the occurrence, distribution, and control of the organisms that cause Swimmers Itch.
Children are most often affected because they tend to swim, wade and play in the shallow water more than adults. Larvae are more likely to be present in shallow water by the shoreline. These parasites are released from infected snails into fresh and saltwater.Īnyone who swims or wades in infested water may be at risk. This rash looks like reddish blisters or pimples. Our job is hard, but our mission is simple: to protect Michigans environment and public health by managing air, water, land, and energy resources. As mentioned with swimmer’s itch you have a rash. Swimmer’s itch is not contagious so you cannot catch it from another person.
It was first described in 1928 in Michigan. Swimmer’s itch - also called cercarial dermatitis - appears as a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to certain microscopic parasites that infect some birds and mammals. There have been cases of swimmer’s itch around the world.