Spaces:
Sleeping
Sleeping
| Division of Public Health Services Disease Handbook for Childcare Providers | |
| Bureau of Infectious Disease Control REVISED –January 2018 | |
| SWIMMER’S ITCH (Cercarial Dermatitis) | |
| Swimmer’s itch (Cercarial Dermatitis) is caused | |
| by human contact with a parasite that normally is | |
| found in some species of birds or small animals. | |
| The adult stage of the parasite lives in the | |
| animals’ intestines and is shed into the water with | |
| excreted feces. Snails feed off the waste and | |
| release the young parasite (called cercaria) into | |
| the water. When this parasite burrows into a | |
| person’s skin it causes an allergic, itchy rash. The | |
| parasite is commonly found at the water’s surface | |
| and near the shore. | |
| Who gets this disease? | |
| Anyone who swims in water where this parasite | |
| lives is susceptible. The parasite may live in both | |
| fresh and salt water. | |
| How is it spread? | |
| Most commonly, individuals get the infection by | |
| swimming or wading in infested water and then | |
| allowing water to evaporate off the skin rather | |
| than drying the skin with a towel. The parasite | |
| (cercaria) will borrow underneath the person’s | |
| skin. Because these parasites cannot develop | |
| inside a human, they so on die. The infection is | |
| not spread from person-to-person. | |
| What are the symptoms? | |
| The symptoms include an initial prickling | |
| sensation after leaving the water shortly followed | |
| by an itchy rash, which reaches maximum | |
| intensity in 2 to 3 days and can persis t for a week. | |
| Scratching the area may result in secondary | |
| bacterial infections. Repeated exposure increases | |
| a person’s sensitivity to the parasite, possibly | |
| resulting in more severe symptoms. | |
| What is the treatment? | |
| It is best to check with a physician f or treatment. | |
| Sometimes medication is given to ease the itching | |
| and allergic reaction. If secondary infection | |
| develops, antibiotic treatment may be indicated. | |
| How can Swimmer’s Itch be prevented? | |
| 1. Avoid swimming in known infested | |
| waters. Swim in deeper water. The | |
| parasite is usually found in shallow | |
| waters. Babies sitting along the shore are | |
| most vulnerable. | |
| 2. Vigorously towel your entire body | |
| immediately upon leaving the water. This | |
| will help brush off any cercaria that may | |
| be on the skin, also rinsing off with a | |
| quick shower as soon as you leave the | |
| water may be helpful. | |
| 3. Use a waterproof sunscreen. This forms a | |
| chemical barrier that may prevent the | |
| parasite from sticking to the body. | |
| Who should be excluded? | |
| There is no need to exclude someone from a | |
| facility since Swimmer’s Itch is not spread from | |
| person-to-person. | |
| Reportable? | |
| No, Swimmer’s Itch is not reportable by New | |
| Hampshire law to the Division of Public Health | |
| Services, Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. | |
| However, public health professionals are available | |
| for consultation at (603)-271-4496. | |
| For questions in sampling public swimming areas, | |
| please contact the NH Department of | |
| Environmental Services, Public Beach Sampling | |
| Program at (603) 271-0698. | |