Duck itch

[Tyler]

Anyone experiencing this yet this season.

[lacey]

I'm sure someone will come up with a case of duck itch...I'm on my way up to the lake and sure enough every year right before I arrive there is a huge outbreak in the area I go and I am always so lucky to get it! UGH

[Skipper]

Duck itch is awful.

"Don't Feed the Ducks"

How do we get the word out to the public? I have seen signs at some beach fronts but few read or heed them. There may even be a law against it.

The droppings from ducks, geese, sea gulls and other fowl are more than a nuisance on the ground or on the beach or in the water. They can be a health hazard causing more than the duck itch. You want to walk, play or swim in the stuff? Sure stuff happens, but feeding the ducks is like making a "stuff magnet" in that area.

How do we politely let duck feeders know that they are in the wrong? I have tried and been ignored and even yelled at. How dare I tell some parent that their kids should not feed the ducks. It often seems to create ill will resulting in aggravation. At sandbars I watch kids flip potato chips and leftovers to the hungry ducks. Other kids see this and they want to feed the duckies too. The ducks are sooo cute. The ducks swarm to those boats and then look to other boats for more free food. Leaving their excrement all around the crowded sandbar. Not too stupid these ducks also learn quickly not to fear man and boats so they come around us even more. A vicious circle leading to more duck itch.

What do we do to help educate everyone about this problem? Don't feed the ducks. Chase them away (don't hurt them).

[Kona Bay Girl]

Oh yes, there are laws against feeding the ducks. They were put into use in my early childhood, so even though I had great tears of grief I could not feed those ducks popcorn.

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Perhaps if they show a photo of what duck itch is on the signs, people might pay attention to the law!
Duck Itch



Preventive measures can be taken to either reduce exposure or attempt to prevent the penetration. Swimming rather than playing or wading in shallow water will reduce exposure. If swimmer’s itch is known to be present, avoid swimming when winds are likely to be carrying cercariae into the beach. Swim offshore if possible. Brisk and vigorous toweling immediately after leaving the water can crush the cercariae before they can penetrate the skin. Some recreationists have noted that some sunscreens and lotions reduce the infections, and a professional aquatic biologist reports applying a waterproof sunscreen before swimming has personally been successful to prevent swimmer's itch. Once the irritation has developed, various soothing lotions or ointments may be applied to relieve the itching. For severe cases, prescription antihistamines and topical steroid creams may be prescribed by a physician. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water...s/swimitch.htm

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by lacey

I'm sure someone will come up with a case of duck itch...I'm on my way up to the lake and sure enough every year right before I arrive there is a huge outbreak in the area I go and I am always so lucky to get it! UGH

My seasonal "Duck Itch" was diagnosed by a neighbor; however, it doesn't look exactly like the photograph. My itch covered much more area and was blotchy; but the same color, intensity, and persistent itchiness. Hot water eased the itch, but it always returned right away -- maybe worse.

A poster on this forum advised that there is also a new "phosphorus allergy" present in Winnipesaukee lake water, and that the quantity of phosphorus had quintupled in recent years. That coincided with my absence of ten years from the lake.

Prior, I had never experienced "Duck Itch" -- or any rash -- but suffered from it immediately in 1993 at the same acre we'd owned since 1956.

Whatever it is, the prescription given me by the doctor cost only $3. When did you last pay $3 for a prescribed medication?

(The name is in the olde forum search -- similar sound to "Triamilone")[Never mind...I've found it...Triamcinolone acetonide. Doctors will write you a prescription upon request at your next annual examination.]

Lake phosphorus appears to be introduced by detergents and by septic leachate -- about 50-50.

If you swim at beaches, where the kids really get "Duck Itch", avoid beaches that face into the prevailing NW winds. That concentrates the cercariae.

[Zee]

I have had duck itch at least three times. The first was around 1990 after swimming around smith point area. There was a female duch with five "cute" little ducklings who were very friendly and swam all around me. About an hour after leaving the water I developed over 150 itchy red bumps over most of my body where there was not tight fitting swimsuit. Most of the bumps quickly became water blisters. I still have the scars to this day. When I tan, the old blister areas appear white, the pigment does not change. It looks like I have white freckles. In the winter, they are not noticeable. The second and third times were off Veasey Shores area. Those incidents were about 5-6 nodules of which only one blistered. The common denominators for both of these swim areas were a formed rock wall at the waters edge and a large wooden dock and of course DUCKS present.

I swim often in the Lake and am now very conscious of ducks in the area (chase them away please!). I am also very careful to dry briskly with a towel where I used to let the water evaporate off me.

[Porch Potato]

Oh, my gosh! I had never heard of this before. We do get ducks swimming through our beach area a couple of times during the day and it never occurred to me that there could be this type of after effect.

Do you know if animals are affected by this? The family Golden Retriever likes to dive in after the ducks (he never catches any). He has had "hot spots" this summer....I wonder if there is any correlation?

Now, if only the ducks could eat all the dock spiders or if the dock spiders could scare the ducks away.....

[dpg]

Keep letting Rover in the water after the ducks...That's a good thing!

But then again, after they see him coming it may scar {them}. Sorry couldn't resist

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by zee

I still have the scars to this day. When I tan, the old blister areas appear white, the pigment does not change.

No scars here -- consistent with a phosphorus allergy.

I knew an MD who was going through medical school at the time, who said they were instructed that if the rash was "wet", they were to "dry" it. If it was "dry", they were to "wet" it.

When I went to a specialist --a Dermatologist -- for the malady, he scarcely glanced at it! (I don't think there's a "book" for how people's skin responds to irritants/parasites). If it's wet? Dry it!

Originally Posted by zee

There was a female duch with five "cute" little ducklings who were very friendly

The parasite requires a second host -- a snail.

Snails browse on algae, which is fostered by lawn fertilizers, detergents, and septic leachate, which is assisted by lawn fertilizer phosphates, which...Oh, never mind....