I picked them up from swimming in the Vierwaldstattersee and still have them 10 days later.
A friend picked some up in Zurisee recently.
On googling the topic I saw that it is a common problem in many lakes. You get them from the water and not getting close to ducks. To help avoid them I was advised to take a cold shower after swimming in the lake and dry off vigerously with a towel.
I hope this post may spare some of you from this ailment !!
See article here for more information regarding the condition as well as how to treat/prevent it.
They are not contagious or dangerous and actually didn't itch much - but they are stubborn. I have about 25-30 I guess which are taking time to go away and look unpleasant.
For the first time in 5 years, I was also "victim" of the little buggers: I felt like a 6 year-old with chicken pox for a couple of days!
I have found a link on the official Geneva city website, but it's all in French:
http://ge.ch/eau/baignades-et-plages/puces-de-canard
This one is a map of all the beaches with water quality scale:
always shower well after swimming and dry yourself vigorously with a dry towel
duck fleas are more prevalent when the water is warmer (if I remember rightly over 23C) - so if you are a good swimmer, go and swim further from the shore were the water is colder - and check the map published regularly (the second link you gave).
On lake Neuchâtel the South shore has much less of a duck flea problem than the North (Neuchâtel town side).
I rinsed very thoroughly, but did not dry myself...and paid the price.
My thread went under complaints corner, but it is a fact of daily life in Geneva's Summer months!
What to do?
And for all you Zurich peeps, who are laughing about this - beware!!!
A special gel called "Fenipic Plus" (available from your chemist's, but not Boots! ) did the trick for me. Certainly helped with the unbearable itchiness.
I haven't swam or swum in the lake since the last duck flea epidemic. And, yes, it was horrible.
But i do sunbathe beside it.
I would think to get an anti bug for the skin spray. I may have to purchase one for myself. But spraying the beach around you is a bit odd.
Do they jump? Like big huge lake monster jumpy thingys?
They are not fleas. If you click on the link I posted, there is a very clear picture explaining the cycle from duck to snail to human.
But i still think spraying yourself with anti-big bitey lake monster spray is better than spraying the area where you are sitting. What happens if you step out of your sprayed area?
They will all be waiting for you... having concocted a rather good attack strategy.
By all accounts it is a big problem in the lakes and can bury themselves under the skin of swimmers - I know we have an algae problem in Yverdon which is a bit smelly and makes the lake uninviting but has anyone encountered a problem with the duck fleas.