Hookworm infection is mainly acquired by walking barefoot on contaminated soil. One kind of hookworm can also be transmitted through the ingestion of larvae. Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms. Some have gastrointestinal symptoms, especially persons who are infected for the first time.
How do you get worms in your feet?
If an infected person poops outside or their poop is spread outside later, those hookworm eggs end up in the soil. When the eggs hatch, they release young hookworms, or larvae. If you walk barefoot over this soil, the young worms can enter your body through the skin on your feet and cause an infection.
How do you know if you have hookworms?
Itching and a localized rash are often the first signs of infection. These symptoms occur when the larvae penetrate the skin. A person with a light infection may have no symptoms. A person with a heavy infection may experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and anemia.
Can you get worms from sitting on the ground?
You can get these parasites in different ways. Sitting, working, playing, or walking barefoot on soil or sand where hookworms have hatched gives them a chance to burrow into your skin. You can swallow hookworm or roundworm eggs when you eat with unwashed hands after touching soil or sand that has the eggs in it.
Do worms come out of feet?
More than 90% of worms come out of the legs and feet, but worms can appear on other body parts, too. People in remote rural communities who have Guinea worm disease often do not have access to health care.
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