How to Prevent Hookworm Infection on Your Next Beach Vacation
What could be better than burying your toes in the warm sand on a beautiful exotic beach? It’s good if this beach is teeming with hookworms hoping to crawl into your legs and reach your small intestine. If you travel a lot in warm and humid places, here’s how you can avoid these annoying little things.
Hookworms , if you haven’t guessed yet, are parasites. They are spread from person to person in one of two ways : walking barefoot on soil contaminated with infected human feces, or swallowing hookworm eggs. The former is a major problem in many parts of the world where sewerage systems are inadequate. When you have to go, you have to go, so people end up using pits, bushes, or fields, and then hookworm eggs are laid in the soil where they can spread wherever water moves the soil – for example, when going down to the beach. The eggs turn into small larvae and spend the rest of their days hoping to snuggle up to the bare skin of some animal. A funny thing.
Even the southern states of the United States had their own serious problems with hookworms. People could not afford running water, so the parasites spread, spread and spread. In fact, the parasite is largely responsible for the stereotype of the lazy southerner with a big belly and stooped shoulder, who sleeps on the porch all day (all symptoms are caused by a rampant hookworm infection). Fortunately, the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission on Hookworm Eradication has pretty much fixed the problem here, with the exception of a few cases here and there.
While you usually don’t need to worry about beach nematodes here in the states, they are still a big problem in other parts of the world. All areas with warm, humid climates are at risk, especially with poor sanitation and hygiene. If you’re wondering which areas fit this description, here’s a helpful map . Parts of South America, Asia, Central America and Africa are all possible habitats for the parasite. This shows how common hookworms are around the world.
You can’t get immunizations to prevent hookworm infections, but it doesn’t take long to stop them. If you are traveling to any areas where hookworms may be and are planning to spend some time on the beach or anywhere you may be in direct contact with the soil, here is what Popular Science’s Sarah Chodosh says you can to do to prevent infection :
- Wear sandals on the beach.
- When resting on the ground, sit on towels or blankets.
- After touching the ground or sand, wash your skin with soap and water.
That’s all! That’s all it takes. Hookworms are considered a “neglected tropical disease” because they are usually fairly easy to prevent, but still a big problem for many people. A little knowledge and a little prevention effort go a long way.
Hookworm symptoms include an itchy rash at the site of contact (usually on the legs), as well as fatigue, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, and anemia, according to the CDC . But if you do get infected, don’t worry. Your doctor will prescribe several pills for you to get rid of the parasites in a matter of days.