Infrastructure neglect and poverty lead to parasites in the Mississippi Delta

City workers try to clear out a backed-up sewage pump in Jackson, Mississippi, on 20 October 2021. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

For years, Marecitta Dorsey’s four children – ages seven to 14 – suffered regular bouts of nausea, vomiting and sore stomachs. Their unexplained symptoms were bad enough to keep them out of school a few days each month.

“My eldest would tell me, ‘I feel like my tummy’s burning,’” recalled Dorsey. “Every week I was taking at least one kid to the doctor because of something with their stomach.”