- According to the CDC, the first symptom of hookworms is a rash or itching where your skin touched the infected soil. This irritation is caused by hookworm larvae entering the skin. A severe infection can cause further symptoms such as anemia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and eventually stunted growth and mental development.
- A person can become infected by hookworm when they are exposed to contaminated soil, according to the CDC. This usually happens while walking barefoot or even by swallowing soil. Soil becomes contaminated with hookworm when people defecate onto the soil or when contaminated soil is used as fertilizer. Hookworm can not be spread from person to person.
- A female hookworm lays thousands of eggs within her victim's small intestine. The eggs are passed with feces. If the eggs reach soil that has favorable conditions, they hatch into hookworm larvae. The larvae infects a human through skin and travels to the lungs. From there, the hookworm larvae travel from the lungs into the respiratory system, then the mouth. After hookworm larvae reach the mouth, they are swallowed and travel through the digestive system until they reach the small intestine, where they develop into worms and attach to the walls of the small intestine, sucking the blood of their host.
- Anyone who is exposed to soil that is contaminated with fecal material and also lives in an area where hookworm thrive is at risk. Children are especially prone to hookworm infection because they often play in soil and might even swallow it. Going barefoot outdoors also increases the risk of hookworm infection.
- Medication can usually clear up a hookworm infection within three days. If you have experienced anemia as the result of a hookworm infection, you will likely be given an iron supplement. Hookworm infection can be prevented by wearing shoes. The CDC advises people to avoid contact with soil that might be contaminated by fecal material.
