Are you thinking about going to the beach any time soon? Do you want to feel the sand and sea under your bare feet? Well, you might want to rethink that after reading this and take proper precautions!
Nurul Ezzatul Akma (31 years old) experienced her worst nightmare during her family vacation to the Port Dickson beach recently.
She posted her experience on Facebook, where she contracted a worm infection due to walking bare feet on the beach. She explained that the worm infection is known as Cutaneous larva migrans. Nurul revealed to WORLD OF BUZZ that it was her left foot that housed the worm. Eww!
At first, she thought that the weird lines at the bottom of her foot which appeared a week later after her trip was caused by a nerve problem.
Source: Facebook
Nurul Ezzatul only started noticing that something was really wrong when she saw a small lump (which looked like it was filled with moisture) appearing on the sole of her foot. She assumed that it was a blister caused by her slipper but then the lines at the bottom of her feet started bulging out like it was swollen but didn’t think it was anything serious.
Nurul went to the masseuse for a massage and asked her but even the masseuse concluded that it was a nerve problem. However, after massaging her foot, Nurul also noticed that the bottom of her foot was incredibly itchy.
Source: Facebook
She sent out a post on Facebook with the picture of her foot with the weird bulging lines, asking her friends if they had any idea about just what was happening. A lot of them actually commented that it was a worm because they have read about this before. After much urging from her family members and friends, Nurul went to a private hospital in Ara Damansara last Tuesday (July 2) for a medical examination.
According to Nurul, the doctor was doubtful at first. After a closer look, the doctor determined that it was a worm that had burrowed into her skin. Shocked by this revelation, the doctor continued to ask her if she had travelled to the beach recently and she told the doctor that she went to the beach two weeks after Hari Raya.
The doctor confirmed that it was definitely a worm in the sole of her foot. Nurul told WORLD OF BUZZ that the type of worm that was in her feet is known locally as ‘cacing kerawit‘ or ‘cacing tambang’. It is also known as a hookworm.
Source: Facebook
The doctor explained that there are a lot of worms at the beach because cats and dogs defecate around the area. Since the sand in the beach is warm, the doctor said that the faeces of the animals would still be there and the doctor verified that the cause of the worm was from dog or cat faeces. The doctor was not able to remove the worm because they were unable to identify the exact location of the worm.
Nurul told the doctor that she felt something moving in her foot every night as if the creature was doing a dance. The doctor said that these worms are usually more active at night.
For illustration purposes only | Source: Halki Diabetes Remedy
The doctor prescribed her with a medicine that she should consume for three days. The doctor added that if there were no changes, she was required to go to a skin specialist to remove the worm.
Adding fuel to her fear, she felt the worm was still moving in her foot even after the second dose of the medicine. However, Nurul was glad when she could no longer feel the worm move after the third dose.
Source: Facebook
The doctor said that the worm was extremely dangerous and it could have gone up to someone’s bloodstream if they were not careful. There does not necessarily have to be any open wounds or broken skin for the worm to enter a person’s body because it is really small and thin as a thread.
Nurul advises everyone to learn from her experience and she encourages parents to ensure that their kids have footwear on when travelling anywhere. Nurul told WORLD OF BUZZ that she is well on her way of recovery from the worm infection after taking the Zentel medicine that the doctor prescribed.
She added that when she was driving previously, she does not wear slippers. Now, she wears slippers almost everywhere.
Please remember to wear your slippers or any footwear when travelling to places and keep an eye out for any weird things like these on your body!
Also read: Man Shocked to Find Tentacled, Alien-Looking Bug Crawling on Ceiling in Bali Home
