With the arrival of hot weather in Shasta County, swimmers visiting Whiskeytown’s Brandy Creek and other Redding area lakes and ponds may come away with microscopic parasites that cause an itchy rash in some people.
Swimmer’s itch is a red pimply rash, an allergic reaction to those parasites, which burrow into the skin of people and animals when the latter swim or wade into freshwater and some saltwater bodies, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Most people don’t have an allergic reaction to the burrowing parasites, according to public health branches, but for those who do, it can be miserable.
Whiskeytown rangers hear complaints about swimmer’s itch each summer, most from swimmers at Brandy Creek Beach, according to the park. As of Thursday, June 25, the park’s beaches were all safe to swim in, with measurable contaminates below the threshold of concern.
Swimmer’s itch isn’t related to poor water quality, but Whiskeytown posts swimmer’s itch information on its water monitoring web page at nps.gov/whis/learn/nature/water-quality-monitoring-at-whiskeytown.htm.
What causes swimmer’s itch?
Common in summer, the parasites infect geese, muskrats and other birds and mammals. Their eggs get into the water when the animal defecates. When the eggs hatch, the parasites live in snails. The snails expel them into the water where they hitch a ride on animal and humans, according to the Mayo Clinic and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Those who get swimmer’s itch develop the rash minutes to days after exposure, the CDC and Mayo Clinic reported. Symptoms can last a week or more, and include itching, burning and tingling skin. The red bumps may turn into tiny blisters.
Scratching may cause infections, both agencies said.
Who gets swimmers itch?
“Because swimmer’s itch is caused by an allergic reaction to infection,” the CDC reported, the more often those prone to the condition go into contaminated water, the greater the chance they’ll get the rash.
Children get swimmer’s itch more often than adults because kids usually play in shallow water, and near the shore, where the larvae often live. They’re also less likely to towel dry after they get out of the water.
Is swimmer’s itch contagious? How fast does swimmer’s itch go away?
No, swimmer’s itch isn’t contagious, the Mayo Clinic reported.
Those parasites can’t live long in people, so the rash usually clears in a few days. Until then, most sufferers can control the rash with medicine, according to the Mayo Clinic, so check with a doctor or pharmacist about ways to push through the itch.
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Can dogs get swimmer’s itch?
Dogs and other mammals can get swimmer’s itch, too. For information on helping furry friends avoid it and other water-related illnesses go to northernveterinaryclinic.com/land-of-lake-dogs.
How to protect yourself from swimmer’s itch
The Mayo Clinic offers tips to help avoid swimmer’s itch:
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Going to a Redding lake? Steps to stop swimmer’s itch, rash
Reporting by Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Jessica Skropanic, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
