![]() Keep anti-itch creams handy if your family is prone to allergies or if welts occur.Change out of your wet bathing suit as soon as possible after exiting the water.Thoroughly and briskly towel-off or shower as soon as you leave the water to help prevent swimmer's itch organisms from entering the skin.Apply waterproof sunscreen or baby oil to help prevent swimmer's itch organisms from entering the skin. ![]() Since swimmer's itch can be reintroduced to the water through goose droppings, please do not feed or attract geese while near lakes or ponds! To Reduce the Chance of Getting Swimmer's Itch Only 30% to 40% of the population is sensitive to swimmer's itch, and very few of those will ever develop welts. Incidences of swimmer's itch are most common in late June and mid-July, especially after heavy winds. These itchy bumps are no more serious than an insect bite and can be treated with anti-itch creams. Our highly skilled GLA Swimmer’s Itch crew will be in their third. We have no permit to live trap them and they are impossible to trap anyway. ![]() Please DO NOT call and report non-brooding mergansers (single adults). Our body reacts to the intrusion by treating the organism as a mild allergy and produces histamines that can cause a red itchy welt. You can report a sighting of a brood by emailing the association or call in the sighting to 231.883.2776. Humans are not suitable hosts for the parasite, so it dies and is dissolved. Once they mature, they enter the water again to seek out birds, but sometimes select a human by mistake. The parasite's eggs are passed out of the bird and develop into larvae that seek out snails. The welts are caused by a tiny parasitic organism which normally lives in the blood of waterfowl. The skin irritation appears as small itchy welts resembling a rash or mosquito bites. It is a temporary skin irritation caused by an invisible parasite found in lakes and ponds. Mayo Clinic also suggests wearing plenty of water resistant sunscreen to protect your skin from the parasites (and UV rays, of course).Swimmer's itch is a natural phenomenon that occurs in many water bodies in Michigan. You can wash away the parasites before they have a chance to get into your skin. If you are swimming or wading in shallow waters, avoid marshy areas and rinse off in the shower when you get out. Bring a life jacket if you're not a strong swimmer. The parasites live in shallow areas, so one easy way to avoid infection is to go out to deeper waters. Because the parasite's life cycle is so short, a clear area can become infected quickly and vice versa. However, there are things you can do to reduce your risk. ![]() It can be difficult to tell if an area is infected with swimmer's itch. You can read more about chiggers here and swimmer's itch here. The parasite that causes swimmer's itch is actually a tiny worm. They also cause itchy bumps on your skin. However, chiggers are tiny earthbound mites that live amidst grass and weeds. Swimmer's itch is often incorrectly referred to as chiggers. If you create an open wound, that could get infected and cause bigger issues. The bumps are generally harmless and will heal in a few days. People aren't suitable hosts, so the parasites quickly die and leave humans with the itchy rash we know as swimmer's itch. Our job is hard, but our mission is simple: to protect Michigans environment and public health by managing air, water, land, and energy resources. However, the microscopic critters occasionally get lost and accidentally burrow into an unsuspecting human. The parasites eventually seek a more suitable host in birds, completing the life cycle. These parasites live in birds, like ducks and geese, and the parasite's eggs enter the water through a bird's feces. (Yuck!)įrom there, the eggs hatch and larvae find a new host: snails. Here's what you need to know to protect your skin (and sanity) from those dreaded itchy bumps.Ĭercarial dermatitis, the technical name for swimmer's itch, is actually an allergic reaction to some microscopic parasites. Have you ever gone swimming in a lake only to break out a few hours later with itchy bumps all over your legs and toes? That's swimmer's itch, and it can really ruin beach trips the same way mosquitos mess up camping trips.
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