What You Need to Know About Swimmer's Itch

10. Considered Emerging Disease

Over the past few years, cases of cercarial dermatitis have increased worldwide, with spikes specifically in South America, Asia, and the Southwest U.S. This has led researchers to label swimmer’s itch an emerging disease. What's more concerning is that studies on rats show the parasite may become better at penetrating the skin over time and could find its way inside the body or become a worse infection. For example, during the early 20th century, Japanese lakeside disease or Koganbyo was a prevalent and severe form of cercarial dermatitis that afflicted rice farmers.