A young boy exhibits signs of swimmer’s itch, Santa Clara, Utah, J| Photo by Hollie Reina, St. Swimmer’s itch is not life-threatening, and there are treatments and tips that can help prevent swimmer’s from getting it so they can more fully enjoy the refreshing waters.Īccording to, cercarial dermatitis - more commonly known as swimmer’s itch - is a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to certain parasites found in some birds and mammals. Though the sparkly blue waters may seem inviting, trouble may be lurking under the surface in the form of a parasite that causes an itchy and sometimes painful condition commonly known as “swimmer’s itch.” George News, LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.SOUTHERN UTAH – Summer is in full swing in Southern Utah, and with temperatures regularly reaching the triple digits, residents and visitors alike might be considering heading out to one of the many lakes and reservoirs in the area to cool off. Go for a swimming pool if it bothers you, because there is no such thing as a paradise without flaws.”Īdditional information on swimmer’s itch can be found on the Sand Hollow State Park website. Melling said people shouldn’t worry or be discouraged from swimming in potentially infected waters. Most cases do not require medical attention, but if symptoms persist after two weeks, contact your doctor. Swimmer’s itch is not tracked by the health department because it is not a life-threatening condition. Most people don’t come in for it anymore because they already know what it is.” We’ve seen a half-dozen (cases) so far this year. Greg Jacobsen, dermatologist at Southwest Skin and Cancer Institute said, “This is the time of year – June, July, August – when there is a local outbreak, we see quite a bit of it. Melling has a few solutions to prevent swimmers itch: “Put on bug repellant and waterproof sun block and dry off when you get out of the water because this is a parasite that moves from fish to water fowl to fish, and that’s how it moves around from lake to lake,” she said. “The parasite tries to burrow into human skin which it can’t do, so it irritates people.” But there are some people that never build up an antibody to swimmer’s itch and get it every year. “It’s like with kids that get the measles, most don’t get them again. The reality of my research through the health department is that 7 percent of the public will have a reaction,” Melling said. The itching can last a week or more, but will generally go away in about three days. All symptoms usually do not last longer than a week or two. Scratching the infected area can lead to secondary infections. These pimples can then turn into small blisters. The small reddish pimples will typically appear within 12 hours. Symptoms can occur within minutes after leaving infected water, or hours in some cases. Tingling, burning or itching of the skin.It is found throughout the world and is more frequent during summer months. Swimmer’s itch is the human body’s allergic reaction to a free-swimming microscopic parasite called cercarial that lives in shallow water. Three were itching without a rash-could be a reaction to the sun or dry skin, and the other four I didn’t personally see,” Melling said. On Saturday, I had about 15,000 people through here and had six cases reported. Laura Melling, park manager for Quail Creek and Sand Hollow State Parks, said few incidents of swimmer’s itch have been reported so far this summer. SOUTHERN UTAH – Good news for swimmers looking to dive into nearby waters this summer: They may be a bit less itchy than usual.
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