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Old 07-26-2011, 05:24 PM   #6
Natt
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Join Date: Feb 2010
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Default What IS duck itch?

It is a parasite of ducks. The eggs hatch and the larva are in the water. The larva burrow into the skin of the duck. In the duck, the larva mature and lay eggs which are expelled in the duck feces into the water. The larvae matures in the duck and lays eggs which are expelled in the ducks feces. I think this is about right, but there may be a snail involved too. Humans get duck itch when the larva try and burrow into human skin. It itches quite a bit, but the larva cannot mature in a human host. The best thing to do is to dry off with a rough towel immediately after swimming. Don't forget inside your suit. Sometimes it is recommended to put lotion on your body inside the suit to prevent duck itch, but we just dry off well. So, dry off well, and you will avoid most of it. Shallow water is particularly a problem especially if there are ducks around, hence the DO NOT FEED DUCKS signs that you see. Hope this helps, Natt''s wife
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