(Orleans)– If you’ve taken a dip in the lake and have been scratching ever since, chances are you’ve contracted what’s known as “swimmer’s itch”.
Mary Dunleavy of Dickinson County Public Health says it’s caused by a parasite from snails and birds that burrows into the skin and causes you to itch. It’s characterized by small red spots about the size of pin points.
Dunleavy says the best way to avoid swimmer’s itch is to thoroughly towel off and to shower shortly after getting out of the lake.
She says the condition usually clears up in about four to seven days. In the mean time, Dunleavy says applying an over-the-counter anti-histimine or cortizone cream can help relieve the itching.
Dunleavy says swimmer’s itch typically starts showing up about this time of the summer. She says no one lake in the area is worse than others for the parasite.
Dunleavy says her office has had no confirmed cases of swimmer’s itch yet this season. However KUOO news has learned of atleast two possible cases from over the weekend from people who had been swimming on both the north and south sides of Big Spirit Lake.
