Deworming Pills: Not Just for Your Dog

After the festival, Bel and I decided to head into Puri to see the town, walk around the shops, and explore in general. After over hearing a few locals talk about how they forgot to take their worm pill, and they needed to get one soon since they were travelling more, I got a little concerned.

I remembered my invertebrate zoology class in undergrad. Dr. Pawlik said that if we were going to remember ANYTHING about his class, that we should remember three simple things. 1) Wear shoes. 2) Filter your water. 3) I can't remember the third one. Shit. I'm a terrible student.

Regardless, I'm VERY sure I've consumed plenty of water that was not of the best quality, if run through filters at all, they were probably too old or poorly made. Moreover, I know that you can get hookworms through the soles of your feet, and I have been barefoot quite a bit. When not barefoot, I'm wearing my flip-flops, which allow plenty of questionable material to bathe my feet daily. Mosquitos and fleas also carry a few, and I'm dined on daily. All of this being said, I was pretty sure I had quite the party going on within my intestinal walls. That was enough to prompt me to stop by the Medicine Wallah and ask about the deworming pill... for humans. I know I give them to my dog, but when you're in India, you're supposed to take them every 3 months TOO!! He was nice enough to draw some pictures of my likely worm inhabitants and provide some street smarts before selling me my deworming pills. He drew their eggs, the adults, and everything I would see if I searched my scheisse under a microscope. I made a horrified face for the photo, but I've seen it all while piddling poo in my time as a veterinary assistant. He finished with saying that the pill would take care of everything, and that I should change my sheets immediately upon waking up the morning after taking the pill (he was vague on why...). His descriptions were quite intense, and he was sure Bel and I both had worms because we had been traveling. It has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with where we walk and eat. With that, Bel decided she needed some too! We joked and told him he was the best doctor we had ever had, enjoyed a laugh, and made our way to a beach side restaurant.