Some beachgoers have regretted wading into Lake Ripley this summer after discovering little red dots, known as swimmer’s itch, on their bodies.
The city of Litchfield posted signs near the beach last month alerting people to the itch, but the notice didn’t help Litchfield resident James Jorgensen and his family. He said he saw a sign, but only after his wife and kids went in the lake June 23.
Jorgensen’s wife, Rosella, and their two kids, 3 and 5, broke out in spots below their knees. “This is their first experience with swimmer’s itch and hopefully the last,” James Jorgensen said, adding that he believes the city should more prominently display the signs. “We never would have gone in had we known about it.”
City Administrator Dave Cziok said the city posted signs after receiving reports about swimmer’s itch. While the itch is not new to Lake Ripley, some people say it’s been a bigger problem this year. Cziok said he’s not sure whether the itch is any worse, or whether more people are swimming at Lake Ripley, possibly due to new amenities there, including restrooms with showers and playground equipment.
Swimmer’s itch historically has not interfered with Watercade, which starts this week, according to Dave Huhner, a member of the Lake Ripley Improvement Association. Several events, including sand castle building and Hula Hoop contests, take place at the lake. “I’ve never heard a Watercade complaint because by then it’s all gone,” he said about the itch.
As he has done in previous years, Huhner plans to apply a treatment, copper sulfate, at the beach with Watercade’s start. He noted the Lake Association has a permit from the Department of Natural Resources for the treatment, which targets snails.
Snails serve as host for the parasite that causes swimmer’s itch. While it cannot live in people, the parasite can trigger an allergic reaction in the form of an itchy rash.
Some claims about swimmer’s itch, occasionally circulated via social media websites, are exaggerated, Huhner said. “Some people associate it with a dirty lake, but it has nothing to do with that,” he said.
Lake Ripley is hardly alone in having the parasite, as it commonly occurs in lakes across Minnesota.
Huhner said he and his family go into Lake Ripley two or three times a week and haven’t experienced swimmer’s itch. He noted the parasite primarily occupies water in depths of less than 2 feet. Small children are more at risk because they tend to wade in shallower water near shorelines.
Swimmers can take steps to avoid swimmer’s itch by making sure to rinse and towel off immediately after exiting the lake, and Lake Ripley beach has showers for rinsing.
Jorgensen said his family didn’t shower until after they returned home from swimming in Lake Ripley. “We got home and everyone that was in the water took a shower and scrubbed, and they still got it,” he said.
Jorgensen’s wife, Rosella, said the experience has been difficult. “I had to put up with crying and screaming kids for over two hours, and then on and off again for days afterwards,” she said.
Copyright 2015 Litchfield Independent Review/Crow River Media/Media News Group.