Preventing swimmer's itch

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Radio interview source: Lois Verbrugge, research professor, University of Michigan

My friend Jodi loves to swim. But she doesn't like all the scratching that comes with taking a dip in a lake or pond. Like a lot of people, she is very sensitive to a microscopic flatworm larvae called cercariae, which burrows into the skin while you're in the water. We know the problem as "swimmer's itch".

Dr. Lois Verbrugge is a research professor at the University of Michigan. She says swimmer's itch happens when the cercariae jump off of snails in search of ducks -- but instead end up on a person.

"Cercariae aren't really aiming at humans," Verbrugge says. "But when they get to human skin, they burrow in, and they die. As they die, they cause the itching."

Expect about 10 days of scratching until it goes away. An antihistamine or a cortisone cream can help. Some people are so sensitive that their whole body becomes inflamed and they need medical care.