mo4ch:>US’ poorest suffer from blood-sucking parasite because they can’t afford septic tank (VIDEO) | Mo4ch News

Hookworm, a blood-sucking parasite thought eradicated in the US in the last century, is now seeing a resurgence in Alabama. In the Now explains how wealth inequality and racism put the state on par with countries like Honduras.Lowndes County is part of Alabama’s so-called Black Belt, a name reflecting its majority population and dark soil. The soil has clay-like properties and cannot absorb water very well. It means special septic systems need to be installed there to treat sewage. Spending some $10,000 on such a system in a country where a third of people live in poverty is not an option for many households, so they often get a regular system that is twice cheaper. Unfortunately, such septics clog and overflow in rain, resulting in literal cesspools forming in people’s backyards.Hookworm, a parasite that can cause anemia and hamper development in children, spreads through raw sewage. The worm lives in the guts and their eggs are spread through the host’s feces. The larvae live in the…