After a day of relaxation on the beach following a mission trip to Pompano Beach, Florida, Michael Dumas noticed an itch. Upon his arrival home to Memphis, his family discovered he’d contracted a hookworm infection. His mother Kelli has been documenting her son’s battle ever since.
“…currently resting at home with his foot elevated. He’s being treated with $1,300 worth of medications. His lower body is covered in blisters, scabs, and rashes.
‘They’re incredibly horrible and they’re so graphic,’ said his mother. ‘One of them is three inches by three inches. It’s a crater in his foot.'”1
According to medical experts, hookworm parasites breed in warm climates where there is poor sanitation. And they breed fast once inside your blood.
Risk factors for the parasite include walking barefoot in areas like beaches where the parasite lives. That’s right, walking barefoot on the beach, something Dumas didn’t know but something that a woman at the health department told her was “common knowledge.”
At least five other people from Michael’s group reported similar symptoms, too.
Dumas has asked Pompano Beach officials to place signs warning other beachgoers.
Do YOU wear shoes at the beach? Will you start now?
