FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SWIMMER'S ITCH:
Lakes and Ponds

Can cercariae be seen in the water? If an outbreak of swimmer's itch occurs in a particular lake or region of a lake, how long might it remain a problem? If swimmer's itch occurs on a lake, does that mean that the lake is polluted? Why may swimmer's itch be a problem one year but not the next? How do you determine which birds are carrying the schistosomes that are causing swimmer's itch on a particular lake? How can you be sure that common mergansers play such an important role as bird hosts on so many lakes in Michigan? Can a relatively few common mergansers have an important swimmer's itch impact on a large recreational lake? Is it possible to have swimmer's itch on a lake or pond even though we see no waterfowl during the summer? What can our lake association do about swimmer's itch? Is there other information available on swimmer's itch?