Photo: Onfokus (Getty)
I’m not a huge fan of the beach, and my super pale complexion should have given that away, but next time you’re on the beach you may want to think twice of walking barefoot on the sand. Here’s why.
Katie Stephens, 22, and her 25-year-old boyfriend named Eddie Zytner, are a couple from Ontario, who were recently in the Dominican Republic. And all was well until they returned home and had super itchy feet. And why was that? Oh, you know, they got parasites.
Stephens tells CTV News that while staying at the IFA Villas Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana, she and her boyfriend “found that we were scratching our feet quite a bit.” Upon returning home, Zytner realized that his feet were very swollen and his toes had small bumps on them. And what started as something minor because extremely serious as the days went by.
And here’s a closer and more gross look:
The couple rushed to a doctor who told them they had contracted larva migrans. In other words, they got hookworm — something they most likely got while walking barefoot on the beach. But not to worry, the couple got some ivermectin, which is a medicine used to kill worms, so their feet are slowly going back to normal.
A doctor prescribed the two ivermectin — a medicine used to kill worms developing in the body. The couple shared their story in order to warn others who travel to tropical ares.
“We want to make it known to more doctors what it is, what to look for and stuff because it took us a few trips to the hospital to find out what it was,” Zytner said.
Well the good news is these kids still have their feet. The bad news is that they will probably wear boots next time they are on the beach.
