– It can be very uncomfortable for some, says an expert. This is how you can protect yourself from parasites that give you swimming itches.
If you are planning to add the swim to a spot of fresh water this year, the unpleasant phenomenon of swim itching may suddenly appear.
Swim itch comes from a parasite that propagates in water snails and lives on in birds, but which is mistaken for a human and a bird.
Thus, these parasites, which are also named, end up entering the skin of the human being where they die, thus creating an allergic reaction in the immune system.
– Some people do not react to it at all, but most people get what looks like mosquito bites, and it can become part. Those who have been very exposed to nausea can get extremely rash. The itching also varies greatly, and some say it is much worse than chickenpox, says Arnulf Soleng, senior researcher at the Section for Pest Control at the Institute of Public Health.
– It’s not very nice to get them. It can also be problematic, especially for children who itch and get open wounds that can cause infections, says Professor Lucy Robertson, who works at the Institute of Paraclinical Sciences at NMBU.
The rash can appear just after bathing, but it is quite common that it can take up to a few days afterwards. If the rash occurs, it usually lasts from one week to ten days.
– Often, you don’t react very much the first time you are exposed to nicks, but it can get worse with repeated exposure. It is said that it is not dangerous, but it can be very unpleasant for some and you can react with fever and nausea, says Soleng.
Facing the parasites this summer
Warm temperatures in the spring and recent times have meant that there can be good amounts of icicles this summer.
– In terms of temperature, it may be possible for it to become part of the summer, confirms both Arnulf Soleng and Lucy Robertsson.
– The parasite requires a certain number of degrees of heat and develops inside the shell of water snails out in the water. Out of a snail there may be thousands of snares. At around 20 degrees it is optimal, then it is almost an explosion of how many are coming out, says Soleng.
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– It is also because there are many people who go swimming, he adds.
If it gets extremely hot there is a disadvantage to the parasite, because the warmer it is, the shorter the life span.
– The amount of parasites can also depend on the vegetation, and the snails have good access to it. This year, it may be that those who work with the vegetation in fresh water may not have taken into account the plants in the same way as before, but there is only speculation, emphasizes Lucy Robertson.
She says she has heard of beaches in France where they do snail clearing with machines to cope with parasites in huge quantities.
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How to avoid swimming itching?
The big question inevitably becomes how to avoid itching, and fortunately there are a number of things you can do to try to avoid these.
First of all – if you bathe in the sea, chances are that this will be greatest. FHI has only received a few reports of swimming itching from people who have bathed in the sea at Hvaler and Tønsberg, but this has been in areas with brackish water, so the parasites after all the sun marks have therefore come from the fresh water.
Arnulf Soleng, Senior Scientist at the Pest Control Department, Public Health Institute
Photo: FHI
If you are going to swim in fresh water, there are a few things you can watch out for.
– You can’t see it on the water whether they are there or not, but if there are lots of gulls and ducks, it is an indication that it can be there, says Soleng.
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– The kid can get extremely rash
A very good condition is to avoid beaches with onshore winds.
– Some of these tips are completely impossible to get when you have young kids. The acorns are transported with water flow and onshore winds, then they end up on the beach, and if you have a small kid sitting there, then it is clear that the kid can get extremely rash, says Soleng.
– If you have children bathing and you are the adult standing in the water to watch, it is easy to get it from your knees down to your feet. They don’t go for specific areas of the body, but they go everywhere on the body and grab the skin they get, Robertson says.
Lucy Robertson, Professor Institute of Paraclinical Sciences at NMBU.
Photo: NMBU
– So it’s clear that these days it can be tempting to just sit in the water for long periods of time because it’s nice, but it also makes the parasite have better time to find you, so shorter bathing periods are unfortunately one of the tips, adds she added.
For adults who are capable of swimming, it is advisable to swim in deep water, because although there may be nicks there as well, there are usually fewer.
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If you are unfamiliar with an area and unsure if the water you are going to swim in can cause a swim itch, you can check to see if you find the lake on FHI’s sides.
In some cases, the municipality also has its own information pages and there are also some signs that are particularly plagued with such parasites.
– There are a number of places that appear in our reports at FHI every year, such as Tyrifjorden, Lutsivannet, Sognsvann, Bogstadvannet, Hestsjøen and Soløyvannet, says Soleng.
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How to protect yourself against swimming itching
However, if you are going to swim in fresh water on a hot summer day, there are certain considerations you can take.
– The use of sunscreen with fire jellyfish protection is said to be able to reduce it a bit, and it has also been reported that regular waterproof sunscreen appears to have an effect, says Soleng.
In some places it is also written that lubricating the body with petroleum jelly can have an effect, and both Robertson and Soleng probably believe this can help, but assumes that it will be more convenient for most people to use sunscreen.
Warns against one thing
In particular, one thing the experts think should be avoided is if you have bathed in fresh water.
– You should not air dry, but dry well with a towel, because the moths spend some time getting into the skin. Then you can at best get them off, or reduce the number you get into the skin. If you have the opportunity, it is also advisable to shower after getting out of the water, says Robertson.
If you have a itch, there are, in addition to avoiding itching, certain things you can do. You can, for example, take antihistamines (allergy tablets) or use creams that you would otherwise use against mosquito bites to relieve the itching.
Soleng also states that if you experience a itchiness, then the pest control at FHI would like to get a report from you.
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