A Canadian Couple Contracts Hookworms After Walking Barefoot On The Beach

By Sughra Hafeez in Health and Fitness On 29th January 2018
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Young Canadian couples are warning vacationers not to get the 'sand between your toes' after picking up some nasty parasites.

Katie Stephens, 22, of Ontario, told CTV News that while staying at the IFA Villas Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana, she and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Eddie Zytner, "found that we were scratching our feet quite a bit."

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Initially, they thought it was caused by sand fleas.

However, when they got back from the trip, their feet began to swell.

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Stephens wrote on Facebook that the couple "simply thought it was just bug bites and it became worse as each day passed."

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The couple decided to seek medical attention for their malady.

The first two doctors who were tasked with treating them was left stumped.

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Luckily, a third doctor was able to diagnose their condition, having seen similar symptoms from a tourist who recently traveled to Thailand.

The couple apparently contracted larva migrans, which are commonly known as hookworms.

These parasites enter the skin, mainly from the soles of the feet, when touching infected and contaminated soil or sand.

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The infection causes a red, intensely pruritic (itchy) eruption.

The itching can become very painful and if scratched may allow a secondary bacterial infection to develop.

Cutaneous larva migrans usually heal spontaneously over weeks to months and has been known to last as long as one year.

Following proper treatment, migration of the larvae within the skin is halted and relief of the associated itching can occur in less than 48 hours (reported for thiabendazole).

Now, they are warning others and sharing their story so that doctors would know the condition when they encounter similar cases.

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Stephens Wrote on her facebook post:

To anybody traveling somewhere tropical, please be careful when in the sand and wear shoes! My boyfriend and I recently got back from Punta Cana to discover that we both have larva migrans, in other terms worms in our feet. If your feet become incredibly itchy please get it checked out right away since we simply thought it was just bug bites and it became worse as each day passed. The resort we stayed at was IFA villas bavaro resort and spa. Also, this injury has nothing to do with coverage or travel insurance, I was back in my home country when I was first treated and don’t need travel coverage for what I have.

Also, to top it off health Canada denied our request to receive the medicine (ivermectin) we needed to treat our infection and were forced to get medicine from the states. Thank you, Canada for the lovely healthcare you provide for us! 😡