Swimmers itch kids10/29/2022 ![]() It is not serious and you do not need to see your doctor unless a secondary infection develops where there is lots of swelling, more redness, and possibly pus. Swimmer’s itch is not contagious between people. ![]() Scratching excessively can cause secondary infections and so treating the itch is important. The itching may last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks, and worsens before it slowly fades away. Pin-point red spots appear and these grow into much larger patches of itchy redness. SWIMMERS ITCH KIDS SKINThe rash begins almost immediately after the larvae burrow under the skin and tingling may even be felt as you are drying yourself off. Symptoms from swimmer’s itch tend to worsen with repeated exposure as people develop stronger allergic reactions with each infestation. They tend to be around the edges of bodies of water, floating near the surface. The larvae leave their host snail to find waterfowl or aquatic mammals and can mistakenly burrow into humans. They have a crest of feathers on their heads and are one of the types of ducks found in the Okanagan. ![]() One of the most frequently affected ducks is the Common Merganser. Their lifecycle includes time in aquatic snails as well as aquatic mammals and waterfowl. The schistosomes are most commonly found in fresh water snails but can also affect salt water species. Our bodies then have an allergic reaction to the worms and it produces the rash. ![]() It happens as a result of tiny, parasitic worms or ‘larvae’ called “schistosomes (shiss-TOE-soams).” They are carried by aquatic snails that end up burrowing under the skin and then dying as humans are not the proper host for them. The proper name for it is “cercarial dermatitis (sir-CARE-ee-uhl der-muh-TIGHT-iss).” It’s a rash that often affects kids after having swum in a fresh water lake or pond and is extremely itchy. Swimmer’s itch…there’s nothing like it to ruin a good time at the lake. ![]()
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