The mother of a teen visiting South Florida claims he contracted hookworms while on the beach in Miami.
Kelli Mulhollen Dumas says her son Michael was in Miami in June.
During a visit to Pompano Beach with a religious group he had been traveling with, Michael was "buried in the sand for fun and it has become our nightmare."
Since returning home, Michael has been in pain and visited a pediatrician four times, as well as a dermatologist. He has been prescribed Clindamyacin, Ivermectin, a steroid dose pack and Albenza.
Dumas says she posted to social media to warn others about allowing children to be buried in the sand.
Dumas claims she contacted a health department in Pompano Beach and was told, "Everyone knows to wear shoes on the beach because you can get parasites."
However, Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King told the SunSentinel, "We haven't heard from anyone, not any resident, not the health department."