User:Csatterfield/Hookworm

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Hookworms are intestinal, blood-feeding, parasitic roundworms that cause types of infection known as helminthiases. Hookworm infection is found in many parts of the world, and is common in areas with poor access to adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. In humans, infections are caused by two main species of roundworm, belonging to the genera Ancylostoma and Necator. In other animals the main parasites are species of Ancylostoma. Hookworm is closely associated with poverty because it is most often found in impoverished areas, and its symptoms promote poverty through the educational and health effects it has on children. It is the leading cause of anemia and undernutrition in developing countries, while being one of the most commonly occurring diseases among poor people. Hookworm thrives in areas where rainfall is sufficient and keeps the soil from drying out, and where temperatures are higher, making rural, coastal areas prime conditions for the parasite to breed.

Hookworm In The United States
While thought to be eradicated around the 1960s, Hookworm can still be found in certain areas in the United States. Lowndes County, Alabama was a subject of various studies on the prevalence and transmission of Hookworm as it relates to sanitation issues that the county experienced. Catherine Coleman Flowers is the figure most closely associated with these studies and efforts to raise awareness of the sanitation problems that face Lowndes. Being one of the poorest counties in the United States with 31.4% of people living below the poverty line, one of the major sanitation issues facing the county is that many residents do not have an adequate sewage system. The study led by The Baylor College of Medicine noted that roughly three-fourths of the study participants had reported raw sewage flowing back into their homes, increasing the likelihood of their home becoming contaminated. The study in Lowndes was had a small sample size of 55 subjects, from 24 households. The results from the screening of Hookworm found that over one-third, 19 out of 55 people testing positive, demonstrating a stronger correlation to poverty than to the tropics. An important organization involved is The Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise (ACRE), which works to address poverty and economic development, and has stated that there continues to be a lack of adequate sewage systems, and this increases exposure to open sewage. Surveys conducted before the testing reported that the subjects had not traveled abroad, making the infection site Alabama.