A teen from Memphis, Tennessee went home with an itchy nightmare after a beach trip from Florida.
17-year-old Michael Dumas was at the beach when his friends buried him in the sand for fun. But, when he went back home, he noticed that he developed itchy rashes soon after the beach visit.
The rashes soon became very painful and his mother took him to his pediatrician and a dermatologist. When Kelli got Michael checked, it was determined that he had been infected by multiple hookworms under his skin.
Four people who went home from the trip contracted hookworms from Pompano, Beach in Florida. But Michael had the worst case among them.
His mother, Kelli, posted pictures on Facebook of his foot and said, “He was buried in the sand for fun and it has become our nightmare.”
Michael had to be treated with four different medications, which amounted to more than $1,300.
The Health Department in Pompano Beach said, “Everyone knows to wear shoes on the beach because you can get parasites.” to which Kelli replied with, “Everyone does NOT KNOW THAT.” Michael’s mother shared the post in the hopes of spreading the word about the dangers of the beach, warning other parents not to have their children buried in the sand.