To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the most iconic novels to ever be written. It is jam-packed with life lessons, from learning the importance of compromise to learning to place ourselves in the shoes of others. While these messages are important, one of my greatest takeaways has nothing to do with a major life lesson. I’m not exactly proud of it, but the part I remember most is the part about Walter Cunningham’s hookworms.
I truly understand how ridiculous it sounds, but parasites freak me out and that passage was my first introduction to this specific parasite. I read To Kill A Mockingbird in the seventh grade. Since reading, I never allowed myself to walk anywhere without shoes, no matter how easy it was to go barefoot or how badly my feet burned through my stilettos. Fifteen years later my fear of contracting hookworms has been revived by a story I read on a couple vacationing in Punta Cana.
Back in January, a Canadian couple returned from their vacation in the Dominican Republic with hookworms in their feet. What started as an intense itch became painful swelling and blistering. After seeking medical attention, the couple was informed that they had contracted cutaneous larva migrans (also known as Creeping Eruption), a skin infection caused by the larvae of hookworms.
The two had walked barefoot along the sands of Punta Cana and suspected that this may have been how they got it. It’s pretty scary when you think about how many of us walk any given beach without shoes. We love the feeling of rubbing our toes in the sand and summer is approaching. With plans for travel, it’s important to take the proper precautions.
A hookworm is a parasitic worm that inhabits the intestines of various animals, dogs, cats, and humans included. A hookworm has hook-like mouthpieces that it uses to latch on to the intestine wall, hence the name. Humans can contract hookworms through the larvae that can be found in dirt contaminated by feces.
The site of infection will usually start with itching and rash. Depending on
the severity and number of worms, symptoms can be even worse. Fatigue, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea, anemia, are all symptoms that can occur. Infection in younger children can even affect mental and physical development.
So how do we protect ourselves?
The larvae tend to thrive in damp dirt, soil, and sand. If you, your friends, or family plan on traveling to places that normally call for bare feet, consider sporting a pair of water shoes. Check to see if the beach you’ll be heading to is a private, fenced-off beach. This will help ensure stray animals don’t frequent the beach. You can also check your own pets. Because our furry friends can easily contract worms, it’s essential to get them dewormed because they can easily spread.
The first step is prevention, but hookworm infection is not as uncommon as you may think. If you suspect that you or a loved one may have hookworm infection, seek medical attention. There are treatments for an infection, one of which being local cryotherapy for worms that are still living under the skin. Once the parasites migrate, other steps are taken.
Although hookworms are mostly seen in tropical, damp places, you can still put yourself at risk in your own hometown. Try to keep those heels on (or at least bring some flats to change into) after your night out, be responsible with your pets, and keep your children from walking without shoes and crawling in unsanitary spaces.
Jasmine Danielle is a Los Angeles based dancer and fitness trainer. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has studied with FiTour, the National Federation of Personal Trainers, and the Equinox Group Fitness Training Institute.
Jasmine is currently a Group Fitness Instructor for Equinox, Everybody Los Angeles, and Sandbox Fitness. Her fitness modalities include, ballet, dance cardio, barre fitness, TRX, treadmill interval training, cardio kickboxing, jump rope, indoor cycling, and metabolic conditioning.
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