Boy Gets Hookworms In Feet After Being Buried In The Sand

Aug 03, 2018

When the weather is nice outside it's only natural to want to hit the beach and enjoy some fun in the sun. However, that simple activity made one Memphis, Tennessee boy's summer vacation take a turn for the worse. His mom wants to let other parents know about a possible hazard of kids letting their friends bury them in the sand.

Her poor son contracted a bad case of hookworms!

Michael Dumas and a group of teens from his church took a mission trip to Miami, Florida in June. They spent a day at Pompano Beach to take an afternoon break from their ministry duties. Dumas and several other of the teens ended up bringing some unwanted parasites back with them from the beach. After burying their feet in the sand they later discovered they had contracted nasty hookworms.

Dumas had the worst infestation of all.

His mom, who is a dentist, posted about his unpleasant experience on Facebook. The post went viral, leading her to conduct media interviews.

In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, she said, "I have a degree in biology — I have dissected things. Science is my gig. But hearing your son has parasitic worms inside of his body and that they're replicating and growing? As a mother, my stomach tightened up into a big tight ball and started flipping around. I thought I was going to throw up."

The medicines Michael needed to get rid of the hookworm infection were quite costly. They included Clindamycin, Ivermectin, a steroid dose pack, and Albenza. Altogether, his medicines cost $1,356 for six pills! He also had to go through a difficult therapy called cryotherapy to expel the parasites from his body.

Micheal's mother described the terrible pain he was experiencing. She posted pictures of his feet that showed them covered in red, bumpy sores. Doctors discovered many hookworms below the skin including one that was three full inches in length!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that hookworms are able to penetrate the skin when people walk without shoes or socks over ground that may contain traces of feces. Hookworms not only cause the feet to feel uncomfortable, but sufferers can experience appetite loss, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, and extreme tiredness, among other symptoms.

If you or someone you know have these symptoms, you should seek medical attention. Though walking barefoot on a beach may seem fun and harmless, it could actually lead to a nightmare scenario like Michael Dumas has had to endure.

Does this article surprise you at all? Will it impact whether or not you choose to walk barefoot on the beach? Let us know your reaction to reading Michael's story! Pass it along to raise awareness about the dangers of contracting hookworms on the beach.

We here at APost hope you never have to deal with this situation. In case you do, please consult your doctor. Your health is important to us!