Teen buried in sand at beach gets parasitic infection

A teenager who went on a church mission to Florida is now fighting a serious parasitic infection after being buried up to his neck in sand as part of a day of fun at the beach.

Michael Dumas was on Pompano Beach with friends on June 18th when he was buried in the sand and contracted hookworms.

At the end of July he was on his third round of anti-parasitic medicine.

He was being treated with antibiotics for Staph for the third week and was on probiotics to help prevent C-DIF, according to his mother.

"His treatment is ongoing with no end date in sight," she wrote on July 30 on Facebook.

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Four of the people on the trip contracted a parasitic infection but Dumas has fared the worst.  A family friend has set up a GoFundMe account to help the family with expenses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that up to 740 million people worldwide are infected with hookworms but most people have no symptoms.  But it warns that in the most serious cases, the effects of hookworm infection are blood loss leading to anemia, in addition to protein loss.

The infection is mainly acquired by walking barefoot on contaminated soil.

Dumas' mother warns:  "Never be buried in sand or allow your children to be either!"