8-year-old girl vomits live worms for weeks, bizarre cause was in household pipes

Dr Zhang Bingbing advised the family to take the worms to the local Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. There, experts recognised them as the larvae of drain flies, also known as moth flies common insects found in damp areas like bathrooms and kitchens.

Xu Yuhui, a department head at the Yangzhou Centre for Disease Control, told SCMP, “When the child brushes her teeth or flushes the toilet, the worms might enter her system through splashes of water.” He added that the underground water source may have been contaminated by the larvae.

Drain flies are more common in southern parts of China during the humid summer. Though they do not transmit diseases through the bloodstream, they can cause health problems if their larvae are ingested.

Xu also warned people not to kill the flies with their hands. “The bacteria they carry might remain on your hand and enter your body when you rub your eyes,” he said, as quoted by SCMP.

Disease control experts recommend pouring boiling water mixed with salt and baking soda down drains to kill the insects. However, the best way to prevent them is to keep bathrooms and kitchens clean and dry.