Teen's horror infection after being buried in the sand at the beach
WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT: The mother of a teenage beachgoer in the US has warned of the dangers of being buried in sand after her son became infected with hookworms.
Michael Dumas, 17, from Memphis, was enjoying a day at Pompano beach in Florida with friends on June 20 when what seemed to be a innocuous activity turned into a “nightmare”.
Days after being buried in the beach’s sand, the teen began complaining of a headache and developed bumps under his skin on his legs.
He was rushed to hospital where doctors confirmed he had come down with a severe case of hookworms – a parasite which lives inside the small intestine.
His mother, Kelli Dumas, took to Facebook to share a series of gruesome images of her son’s injuries in a bid to warn others.
“He was buried in the sand for fun and it has become our nightmare,” she wrote.
She says despite Michael being treated with expensive medicines, her son is still in considerable pain.
“Never be buried in sand or allow your children to be either! I am only showing a few pictures because it is so disturbing,” Ms Dumas said.
“He could actually feel the worms moving in his body,” she told US television station WJAX.
Over a month after the infection began, Michael still has gaping wounds on his legs and is unable to wear shoes while he bathes his wounds in bleach water daily.
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The Florida Department of Health is investigating, a spokeswoman told the Sun Sentinal.
According to the Department of Health in Australia, hookworms are most common in the Kimberley and other parts of tropical northern Australia.
Hookworms flourish in areas where sewage disposal is inadequate and people can become infected when their skin comes into contact with contaminated areas with larvae prone to burrowing into human skin.
