It sounds like something that horror movies are made of, doesn't it? Unfortunately, this real-life parasite has been found in America recently and could already be in Minnesota.

Even its name sounds like a Sci-Fi creation. According to a recent study, Strongyloides are parasites that burrow through the skin of a person walking barefooted, then enter your bloodstream and lungs, then get into the windpipe to be coughed up swallowed.

Symptoms:

  • Rash at the entrance site
  • Tracheal irritation
  • Dry cough
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Abdominal pain
  • Anorexia
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The parasite gets into human and animal intestines and then defecated, leaving its larvae in your body to multiply and eventually kill you, the host.

Strongyloides sometimes give no symptoms to the host carrying them, until it's too late. Strongyloides is one of the deadliest soil-transmitted parasites that exist and can multiply quickly throughout the human body, and cause death to the unlucky individual who stepped on them, especially if the person coming in contact with the parasite has a weakened immune system.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32207401/

The parasite has been found in a small town in Texas, only because of a University that was studying the parasite and looking for a place to take samples.

The extra bad news? Is that it's not just a parasite found in Texas. This parasite is found anywhere that has poor sanitation practices; that means it could happen in any state in America, especially in our communities that are less fortunate.

Here's the thing. Yes....parasites like this have probably been around for a long time. Does it mean you shouldn't walk barefoot outside? Not necessarily, but it might matter where you are walking barefoot. If you live in an area known to have poor sanitation, then it might be best to NOT walk around barefoot.  Just because it hasn't happened to you, doesn't mean it's not out there, and people who may live in this kind of condition have a right to know that it is safer for them to wear protective footwear.

 

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