Itchy, Scratchy Swimmer’s Itch

Article by healthybalance.com staff
Posted on July 18, 2008

Summer fun gets even better when it includes swimming at the beach. However, sometimes swimmers go home with more than pleasant memories. Swimmer’s itch, known in medical circles as cercarial dermatitis, on the East Coast as “duckworms” and in Asia as “rice paddy itch,” causes a short-lived but very itchy, red, raised rash two or three days after exposure.

Exposure to what?
Parasites that migrate from snails, ducks, geese, gulls, swans, muskrats and beavers cause swimmer’s itch. Invisible to the naked eye, these parasites burrow into the skin when you swim. The parasites only latch on to skin not covered by your swimsuit—and not the palms of your hands or soles of your feet.

When the parasites die, the itchy rash appears. While swimmer’s itch clears up on its own within a few days, repeated exposure can cause subsequent rashes to become more severe.
Swimmer’s itch occurs most often in calm, warm, freshwater lakes and ponds. However, if ducks or geese make a habit of landing in your pool for a peaceful swim, they can leave the parasite behind. If the pool water is kept clean and chlorinated, the parasites are destroyed.

Increased risks
The longer you swim or play in infested waters, the more chance you have of coming in contact with the swimmer’s itch parasite. This is why children are more susceptible—they play for hours in the shallow areas where the parasites may be most heavily concentrated. Children’s risk also increases because they are less likely to dry off thoroughly with a towel.
Because swimmer’s itch is not contagious, you don’t have to worry about catching from someone else or about one child passing it to another.

Avoid swimmer’s itch
• Be careful about where you swim. If you’ve heard a lake is currently associated with swimmer’s itch or you see signs posted warning of contamination, stay out of the water.
• Don’t swim in marshy areas or where you see snail populations.
• If possible, swim in deeper waters rather than near the shore.
• Rinse off in a shower or with a hose when you come out of the water.
• Dry yourself vigorously with a towel after swimming.
• Launder your swimsuit after every swim or alternate swimwear.
• Don’t feed the birds in swimming areas.
• If you swim in a pool, make sure its water is clean and chlorinated.

Relieving the itch
The only complication caused by swimmer’s itch is infection due to harsh scratching. To soothe the itch:
• Use an anti-itch lotion like calamine.
• Soak in an oatmeal bath, Epsom salts, or a baking soda bath.
• Apply cold compresses to the itchy areas.
• Spread a paste of baking soda and water on the affected skin.

Consult your doctor if you have a rash after swimming that lasts more than three days.