14 Common Symptoms of Hookworm Infection

Hookworm is a parasite that enters through the skin in some parts of the world. This illness affects between 550 million to 750 million people worldwide and although most people recover from it there are situations where can turn deadly. The most common route for infection is walking barefoot on soil that has been contaminated by human feces.

That’s because the eggs of the hookworm are contained in human feces and end up on the ground after hitching a ride in the stool. These eggs eventually hatch into larvae and they remain in the soil until they have a chance to enter into the human body through the skin. In developed parts of the world, chances of getting this parasitic infection are almost 0, but in undeveloped countries, and especially in the tropical and subtropical regions, walking barefoot through areas or exposing other parts of the body to a soil that may have been contaminated with human feces can lead to hookworm.

1. Skin Rash

One of the first symptoms that you may notice is a skin rash in one particular area of the body. This will typically be red and itchy and the skin will be raised above the other parts the skin. This may lead to a skin infection called creeping eruption or cutaneous larva migrans. This is more serious than the standard skin rash and it may mean that your skin breaks out in blisters, that you have a red growing rash and that you itch horribly.

The rash can continue to grow by several centimeters every day. Generally, the skin rash that comes with this illness will appear on the part of the body that was infected by the hookworm larvae in the first place. For example, the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet are common places for the rash to break out but there may be other locations as well.