Girl in China Vomits Worms for a Month, Diagnosed With Drain-Fly Larvae Infection
Rare parasite infection linked to poor drainage and contaminated water in household
An eight‑year‑old girl who spent a month vomiting handfuls of tiny live worms has finally been diagnosed with a rare drain‑fly larva infection, local health officials said on Monday.
The child, whose identity was withheld, had visited several hospitals without answers after repeatedly throwing up clusters of 1 cm‑long white worms. “Every episode she would bring up a handful,” her father told reporters. No other family members showed any symptoms.
Pediatric specialist Zhang Bingbing at the Children’s Hospital of Soochow University sent the unusual specimens to the Yangzhou Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There, technicians immediately recognised the creatures as the larvae of drain flies—small moth‑like insects that breed in damp household drains and sewer pipes.
CDC department head Lu Xiaofeng said the larvae likely entered the girl’s digestive system via micro‑splashes of contaminated water while she brushed her teeth or from aerosolised droplets released during toilet flushing. “Underground water lines or poorly cleaned bathroom drains can harbour these insects, especially in humid regions,” Lu noted.
Drain flies are common across southern China’s muggy summers, but human ingestion is extremely rare. The CDC previously documented only one similar case—a 60‑year‑old woman—in the region.
Doctors have prescribed anti‑parasitic medication and advised the family to disinfect plumbing, install drain covers and use boiled or filtered water for oral hygiene. The girl is reported to be recovering well, with no further episodes since treatment began.
Public‑health officials urged residents to keep kitchens and bathrooms dry, clean drains with bleach, and close toilet lids before flushing to prevent similar infections.
