LOWNDES COUNTY, AL – JULY 10, 2017: Deandrew, 13, plays basketball barefoot in the backyard where sewage from a nearby lagoons often spills over and contaminates the property. His aunt, Steviana, (right) said he's not supposed to play without shoes. "Sometimes the stench is so bad, we can't go outside," Steviana said. "It's like we're prisoners in our own home." Along with roughly one in three individuals tested in a recent study conducted by Baylor, Deandrew tested positive for hookworm.

A recent study conducted by Baylor University suggests that nearly one 1 in 3 people in Lowndes County have hookworm, a parasite normally found in poor, developing countries. Below ground septic tanks are common in Lowndes, but due to the chalky clay soil throughout much of the Black Belt, septic tanks are prone to backing up into people’s homes during heavy rains. With failing or absent municipal sewage systems in the county, many families choose to live with open, above ground sewer systems made from PVC pipe, which pump raw sewage into nearby streams or open land.