It was to be a romantic and heavenly stay in the Dominican Republic. Their escapade turned into a nightmare. Eddie Zytner and Katie Stephens, a Canadian couple aged 25 and 22 respectively, returned from vacation on January 18 with a striking memory: their feet were infested with parasites. Initially, they suffered from itching without understanding the cause. “We were scratching our toes for most of the trip,” Eddie Zytner told CNN. Four days later, the red marks on the feet were accompanied by painful swelling and blisters. The couple from Windsor, Ontario posted a photo on Facebook showing their wounded limbs. Bent with pain, the Canadians were soon unable to set foot on the ground. They had to use crutches to get around. The pain that gnawed at them was so intense that they couldn’t bear to wear socks or shoes.
Sand potentially contaminated with feces
After several visits to the hospital, the couple received the diagnosis: these sores were caused by cutaneous larva migrans, a infection caused by larvae hookworms, parasitic worms. These worms are said to have penetrated the skin of young adults as they walked barefoot in the sand on the beaches of Punta Cana.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported by CNN, recalls that the parasites usually live in the intestines of dogs, cats and other wild animals. The larvae are able to burrow through human skin when it comes into contact with sand or soil contaminated with animal feces.
“For anyone traveling somewhere tropical, be careful when in the sand and wear shoes!” warned Katie Stephens on Facebook.
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