How the Hookworm infects children

Sometimes, the worms can penetrate the skin and migrate locally in the skin instead of migrating to the lungs. This condition is called cutaneous larva migrans (see picture below).Hookworm is not transmitted from person to person, so there is no risk of catching it from another person directly. Infected people can contaminate soil for several years if the right conditions are present. Larvae can survive in dirt for several weeks but do not survive in clay, dry or hard packed soils, or in temperatures that are freezing or higher than 45ºC. [Ref: CDC &  WHO]