Hookworm infection
Most people infected with hookworm don't have any symptoms.
The larvae of animal hookworms sometimes get into the skin, usually after lying on sand contaminated by animal faeces while on a beach holiday abroad.
These larvae are unable to go further into the body, but cause a slowly moving red line to appear on the skin. This is called cutaneous larva migrans and can last several weeks. It's a bit itchy, but doesn't usually cause any harm.
People infected with human hookworm larvae occasionally have a less obvious itchy rash for a few days around the area of skin where the larvae penetrated. Respiratory symptoms such as a Cough and wheeziness may develop when the larvae reach the lungs,a few weeks after exposure.
Severe infections may cause abdominal (tummy) pain, diarrhoea , loss of appetite, weight loss , fatigue and anaemia. Blood loss leading to iron deficiency anaemia and protein loss are the most serious symptoms.
Read about the symptoms of a hookworm infection, and how it's spread, diagnosed, treated and prevented.
The larvae and adult worms live in the small intestine (small bowel) of an infected person or animal. If an infected person defecates outside (for example, near bushes or in a field) or if their stoo
Most people infected with hookworm don't have any symptoms. The larvae of animal hookworms sometimes get into the skin, usually after lying on sand contaminated by animal faeces while on a beach holi
Hookworm infections can be diagnosed by inspecting a stool sample under a microscope in a laboratory and looking for the eggs. If there's an infection, the number of eggs will be counted to see how se
If you're travelling to a tropical or sub-tropical region of the world where hookworm infections are common, avoid walking barefoot in areas where there may be contaminated soil, and don't touch soil