Other schistosomes can also cause disease in humans ( swimmer's itch – see below). Although the majority of infected people are symptom-free, schistosomiasis causes more than 200,000 deaths per year worldwide. It is estimated that more than 200 million people worldwide are infected. Schistosomiasis is an extremely common illness in endemic areas. japonicum – China, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines haematobium – sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, and India mansoni – parts of South America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East Humans usually become infected by schistosomes via contact with freshwater lakes and streams in endemic areas:
SWIMMERS ITCH ON FACE PICTURES SKIN
haematobium – mainly causes kidney and bladder complications, occasionally causes liver disease, and rarely causes skin disease. japonicum – cause bowel and liver complications. Humans are the primary hosts of 3 major species of schistosomes: In extremis, get into a cold bath to take heat and itching away.Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia) is a disease caused by infection with parasitic worms called schistosomes. Avoid hot baths or showers as heat irritates the spots. If the itching becomes intolerable don’t ice, but use cold compresses on the spots. Try Aqueous Calamine Cream, or keep some Aloe Vera lotion in the fridge.ĭon’t scratch, it can cause infection. I use Sudocrem, though Dr Fraser warns that some people react to its fragrance. I also carry dual-action antiseptic and anaesthetic gel to treat each red spot as it appears,Ī topical steroid cream can be effective: mild 1% hydrocortisone, or the slightly stronger Eumovate, can be bought over the counter, but should be used sparingly, for a week at most, to reduce the risk of skin thinning.Ĭreams such as E45 and Aveeno will both soothe and hydrate. People who react especially badly could consider an antihistamine to be taken before swimming. It is also useful to carry an over-the-counter antihistamine, to swallow immediately symptoms appear, as Dr Fraser says this should definitely help. Various protective creams are advertised, but I found none with randomised control trials to show whether they are effective. A lighter but less effective option would be a kneesuit or tri-suit. Like Dr Rai, Dr Fraser emphasised the only protection against swimmer’s itch is not to swim in affected waters. Having heard swimmers swapping suggestions, from basting themselves with coconut oil to not feeding swans, I turned to Susannah Fraser FRCP, a Consultant Dermatologist, for some myth busting and practical advice.
What can we do, to keep swimming where there have been outbreaks of swimmer’s itch? Few have a choice of places for a daily dip.
SWIMMERS ITCH ON FACE PICTURES PROFESSIONAL
An exhaustive search of the professional literature confirmed her expert advice. Unfortunately, as I learnt from Dr Sweta Rai of the British Association of Dermatologists, the only guaranteed way to avoid swimmer’s itch is not to swim in affected waters. These may stay itchy for several days, sometimes causing sleepless nights. But – usually after a few hours, though it can take up to two days – the unfortunate human reacts: the skin breaks out in red, itchy lumps. The parasite soon dies, as it cannot live in a human. Mistaking the swimmer for a desirable duck, the confused parasite burrows into the outer layer of human skin. The cercaria might, on its journey, meet a human swimmer. Eventually the cercaria hatches and sets off to find a waterfowl host to begin the cycle again. As lakes and rivers warm up in summer, parasite eggs leave the host bird for an intermediate host, an aquatic snail. These parasites normally live in waterfowl. This parasite (of the family Schistosomatidae) causes ‘swimmer’s itch’ or more correctly cercarial dermatitis: an allergic reaction to the parasite – in its cercarial stage – burrowing into your skin.
Sadly, in summer, there is a serpent in our garden: a tiny, fork-tailed, wormy parasite. Swimming at sunset, walking across moors or city parks to splash into dawn: these are glimpses of paradise for an outdoor swimmer.
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