Worms are one of the most commonly referenced ailments in the Bible[1]. Some references make it clear that we’re talking about maggots, or larvae of some kind. In other places, though, it’s very clear that the worms in question are helminthes. The “fiery serpents” that struck the Israelites of the Red Sea area is generally understood by parasitologists to be Guinea Worms; the clinical symptoms of Dracunculiasis are also clearly recognizable in Bible passages[2].
In fact, worms come very close to being a theme in the Bible. Worms represent all kinds of things: illness, pain, dirt, and the smallness of human beings before God. Humans die and are eaten by worms, worms eat up the plants and the grapes. Psalm 22:6 is especially memorable: “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people…”
Worms were a fact of life for the people of the Bible, or they wouldn’t some up so often in its texts. Worms are also a fact of life for the people of the Modern Middle East. It’s hard to find data disaggregated for the Middle East alone, but the numbers are powerful. While Guinea Worm has been nearly eradicated from the region, there are many other helminthes that affect the Middle East. Both hookworms and roundworms are found in the region; 17% of global hookworm infections are in the Middle East and North Africa. Most of those infections are in children. Looking at the sparse data on the West Bank and Palestine, it is clear that helminth infections are common. 13.6% of children in Palestinian refugee camps are infected with cryptosporidium [3]. » Read more: A Wormy Christmas: Now and Then
