
Avoid the shoreline: If the sea or ocean is not too rough and you can swim in deep waters, choose to do so! Snails tend to dwell more along the shores, and so, swimming in deep waters can keep you safe from swimmer’s itch.Swimming in swimming pools is relatively safe as they are purified and cleaned regularly. Stay away from areas you suspect are infested, especially if they are shallow waters and have many snails.
Choose your swimming spot carefully: Do not swim in water bodies where several swimmer’s itch cases have got reported. Fortunately, you do not have to worry about contracting a swimmer’s itch from an infected person as it is not a contagious infection (among people). Therefore, the swimmer’s itch is more common among people who spend a lot of time in shallow waters. Before infecting birds or other animals, these parasites must first hatch and live in a type of snail. These animals infect water bodies with these parasites when they excrete in them as schistosome eggs in their feces. Some of the animals that carry schistosomes are geese, gulls, ducks, beavers, and muskrats. These parasites live in the blood of waterfowls and certain mammals. The primary cause is a parasite called schistosome. You can schedule an appointment with a dermatologist to diagnose and treat the infection.Ĭall 186 to book an appointment. Seek medical attention if you notice a rash that lasts for more than three days, especially if it has pus coming out of it. These symptoms can worsen if the exposure is regular. They usually appear on exposed skin, that is, parts not covered by clothing or protective material. These rashes look like blisters or pimples and are red. The primary symptom of a swimmer’s itch is a set of rashes on your skin, especially right after a swim in an unpurified water body such as a lake, pond, or sea. While it is uncomfortable, this condition usually clears up on its own within a few days. Taking a swim in water bodies infected with these parasites can result in a swimmer’s itch. These parasites are commonly found in freshwater bodies and rarely in salt water. Swimmer’s itch is characterized by rashes caused by certain parasites that live in waterfowl and some mammals.
They tend to die after a few days of living on human skin. An interesting fact about these parasites is that humans are not suitable hosts for them. These parasites typically get transmitted by infected snails into water bodies such as lakes and ponds. Swimmer’s itch, otherwise known as cercarial dermatitis, is a rash caused by an allergy to certain parasites.