Lake michigan swimmers itch full#
Verbrugge wears a full Lycra wetsuit to keep the cercariae out of her skin. She hopes additional epidemiological studies will learn what preventive actions are successful. Instead, Verbrugge said it is probably up to individual swimmers to take precautions. Some have tried to control ducks or snails to fight the cycle of the parasite, but with little luck. Verbrugge said she’s sought out lake associations for every major inland lake in Michigan, and all have concerns about swimmer’s itch. And that makes it easier for concerned residents and public health officials to know what to do. "The study confirms some of people’s hunches, but now it’s science," Verbrugge said. Onshore winds keep locally produced cercariae in place, and also bring in cercariae produced in other areas, so they become more concentrated.
More minutes in the water on a given day, as well as morning swimming, also seemed to increase incidence, but the study was not large enough to confirm these statistically.Īlso, time spent in water waist deep or shallower increased likelihood of irritation, as did time spent in areas of the lake with onshore, or receiving winds-winds that blow in toward shore. Ultimately, Verbrugge found that the more days people spent in the water, the more likely they were to develop swimmer’s itch. Verbrugge conducted her research at the U-M Biological Station on the shores of Douglas Lake near Pellston.
Lake michigan swimmers itch skin#
Other studies have asked swimmers to report outbreaks, but Verbrugge pointed out that kind of study doesn’t get at the likelihood of skin irritation, since researchers wouldn’t know if the person went in the water one time or 20 times before being affected. She designed a study asking people to keep diaries recording the frequency and duration of time in the water and the occurrence of swimmer’s itch. Verbrugge felt it was important to study human effects if it was to be taken seriously as a public health concern. When Verbrugge began exploring the epidemiology of swimmer’s itch, she found that most existing research looked at ducks and snails, because the parasite that causes the itch has a two-host life cycle, first involving snails, and later ducks. Larvae of the parasite burrow into the skin of swimmers, causing red, itchy bumps. Like human reaction to poison ivy or poison oak, swimmer’s itch is a reaction of the skin to an irritant. The more days a person was in the lake, the higher his or her chances for having an episode of the painful skin irritation. "Exposure to shallow water and areas with onshore winds are key risks for swimmer’s itch," Verbrugge concluded. Verbrugge examined the incidence and risk factors of swimmer’s itch, the lay term for cercarial dermatitis, caused by parasites in the water. Out of that was born an article in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health. "I’m a curious person and started asking questions about what was in the lake." "I started to swim and itched intensely afterward," said Verbrugge, a research professor and senior distinguished research scientist at the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology. When Verbrugge, an avid swimmer, built a home with her husband on a northern Michigan lake, her scientist’s curiosity was piqued by the irritation her skin developed every time she indulged her hobby. Thanks to everyone that supported our 2021 dinner, which was a great success.U-M researcher studies swimmer’s itch incidence and risk factorsĪNN ARBOR-Lois Verbrugge takes her research personally. Please join us on August 18 for our annual fundraising dinner. Our Future: HLSIO will continue to trap and relocate merganser ducks and to assess potential other waterfowl and snail species that may contribute to swimmer’s itch. The 2020 analysis of Stagnicola snails from Higgins Lake indicated a 99% decrease in avian schistosome snail infection levels from the pre-control program level. Since 2015, Higgins Lake has seen a significant reduction in the swimmer’s itch causing parasites in the lake. Our Success Story: HLSIO realizes that currently there is no known control program or technology that can totally eliminate swimmer’s itch. Our Mission Statement: To explore and understand the causes of swimmer’s itch and use science-based, humane, and environmentally-sound methods to significantly reduce swimmer’s itch. Health problem of swimmer’s itch at Higgins Lake.