Swimmer's itch forces Stockholm swimming school to move indoors

Swimmers in Stockholm are reporting an itchy nuisance, with one outdoor swimming school forced to relocate its operations. Camilla Hansen, who runs the school for children aged three to ten at Krokodilbadet in Haninge, experienced mild itching last summer but hoped it wouldn't be an issue this year. However, the bird parasite cercariae, responsible for swimmer's itch, proved persistent.

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I became so sad that this happened. Outdoor swimming school is the most important swimming school of all.

"I went into this positively, but then the swimming instructors and assistants started getting spots," Hansen said. One assistant mistook the initial symptoms for ant bites, but Hansen recognized the tell-tale signs of swimmer's itch. She and two other instructors developed itchy rashes and spots on their arms and legs, describing the sensation as "100 mosquito bites" that made sleeping difficult. Some colleagues suffered from the rash for two weeks.

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I went into this positively, but then the swimming instructors and assistants started getting spots.

Hansen emphasized that swimmer's itch is not contagious and is ultimately harmless, though uncomfortable. Her primary concern was for the instructors who spend extended periods in or near the water. "A few children got swimmer's itch, but children generally spend an hour in the water, which makes the risk significantly less than for the swimming instructors, who are in the water or on the shore seven hours a day," she explained.

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It has been terrible.

The situation became so severe that Hansen's swimming school moved to Torvalla indoor swimming pool in Haninge. Krokodilbadet is not the only affected location; swimmers at Stockholm's Tanto bathing area also reported issues after an advisory was lifted. Södermalm's district administration has issued warnings about the bird parasites, sparking speculation on social media about potential links to water quality. However, ecologist Stina Drakare from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences clarified that swimmer's itch is a recurring summer phenomenon linked to warm water, snail life cycles, and bird presence, not a new water quality issue.

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A few children got swimmer's itch, but children generally spend an hour in the water, which makes the risk significantly less than for the swimming instructors, who are in the water or on the shore seven hours a day.