Infrastructure neglect and poverty lead to parasites in the Mississippi Delta

Shaw: For years, Marecitta Dorsey’s kids have been feeling sick. They often complain of nausea and stomach aches, which sometimes keep them out of school. It’s been tough for her.

She remembers her oldest saying, “It feels like my tummy’s burning.” Dorsey was always taking at least one of them to the doctor for stomach issues. She started to think it might be the water.

Before moving to the Delta, her kids never had these problems. Shaw, a small town in Mississippi, has serious sanitation issues. Residents have complained about wastewater leaks and burst pipes, exposing them to raw sewage.

Researchers are now saying these sanitation problems could be causing a rise in intestinal infections and parasites like hookworm and roundworm. It’s alarming.

People thought the U.S. had gotten rid of these parasites, but that’s not the case. Tara Cepon-Robins, an anthropologist, points out that about 12 million Americans are living with these neglected infections, often linked to poverty.

These infections spread through contaminated water and poor sanitation, especially in low-income areas. Officials used to think investments in sanitation had solved the problem, but recent studies show high infection rates, particularly in the South.

Peter Hotez, a dean at Baylor College, has been studying these diseases for years. He agrees with Cepon-Robins that the findings are concerning. It’s often the poor living among wealthier communities that suffer the most from these neglected diseases.

Cepon-Robins and her team have been collecting samples in Bolivar County since 2019 to show how poor sanitation affects health. Their results were alarming: 38% of the kids they tested had parasitic infections.

That’s similar to a study from Alabama, where a third of residents tested positive for hookworm. Hotez believes raw sewage exposure is a big factor in these infection rates.

These parasites can affect how your body reacts to things throughout your life. They can lead to allergies, nutrient deficiencies, and even developmental delays. The kids with high inflammation levels were also more likely to be underweight.

As the study grew, they found that 73% of adults also had high inflammation rates. Unfortunately, many healthcare providers in the U.S. aren’t trained to recognize these infections, which means many cases go undiagnosed.

Dr. Rev Jason Coker, who runs a nonprofit in Shaw, says the environment is tough. The county has a high percentage of Black residents, many of whom are descendants of enslaved people. The median income is low, and life expectancy is shorter than the national average.

Coker expected the researchers to find parasites in the tests. He believes the town’s water issues stem from white flight in the 1960s, which left Shaw without the funds needed for infrastructure.

In the 1970s, Black residents fought for better services, but decades later, they still struggle with access to clean water. Many people don’t even cook or drink the water because it’s brown.

Shaw’s mayor claims the water is safe, but residents still notice a smell when the chlorine runs out. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Mississippi’s wastewater infrastructure a D-, highlighting a huge backlog in repairs.

In Bolivar County, residents have filed numerous complaints about raw sewage flooding their yards. It’s a real problem, and people are getting sick from it.

Charlene Gray, who lives nearby, says raw sewage often pools outside her home. It’s a nightmare, especially when it seeps into her yard. The smell is unbearable.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is aware of the sewage issues but hasn’t provided clear answers about how these problems might be linked to the rise in parasitic infections.

Coker believes that fixing these long-standing water issues will require federal investment, but he’s not optimistic about getting help from the current administration.

Last year, Dorsey had enough and moved her family away from the county. Now, her kids aren’t having stomach problems anymore. She realized the water situation was just ridiculous.