A 4-year-old boy was taken to the hospital by his family after strange winding marks appeared on the palm of his hand.

A few days after playing in the sand, the palm of the 4-year-old boy (in Phu Tho) suddenly developed unusual winding lines, even though the small scratch between his fingers at first seemed minor and harmless.

The family took him to Hung Vuong General Hospital (Phu Tho), and test results surprised them: the culprit was schistosome larvae that had penetrated through the skin. According to the family, a few days before being hospitalized, the boy had played in a “sand pile,” and afterwards, he got a slight scratch between his fingers. The tiny scratch seemed harmless… but just days later, strange “winding tracks” appeared on his palm.

Doctors explained that schistosome larvae found in contaminated fresh water can invade when children bathe or play in dirty water.

Adult schistosomes live in blood vessels, laying eggs that cause inflammation, tissue damage, and can affect the liver, spleen, intestines, and bladder.

Acute symptoms include fever, rashes, itching, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and coughing; chronic stages can lead to enlarged liver or spleen, anemia, digestive disorders, and sometimes blood in stool or urine. The disease often progresses silently and can be mistaken for other digestive conditions.

Doctors advise against letting children bathe or play in contaminated fresh water, recommend maintaining clean water sources and environments, and ensuring regular deworming and parasite prevention for children in at-risk areas.