Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is based on personal experience. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice. If you suspect myiasis or any skin infection, please see a healthcare professional immediately.
I normally watched my father turn his wet clothes to the front when spreading them outside and he would say to me: "micro organisms fly around and if they perch on the inside of the clothe and when you wear it, you're giving harm to yourself."
At first, I found it insane because most people I know always turn their clothes to the back not front when spreading. Why would you show the inside?
Everyone spreads clothes with the outside showing. It looked wrong to me. And I had this habit of forgetting my clothes outside until the next day even when they were dry. I would wash, spread, and travel. Sometimes it would rain, dry again, I would still leave it there.
Until a day came, I washed and spread a shirt of mine and went out. I came back the next day, the shirt had dried yesterday and got soaked again by dew, but gracefully the weather was sunny and it got a little dry with a funny smell. I needed the shirt that day so I managed to put it on and went out. I thought smell is nothing, sun will kill anything.
The next day, I felt something moving in my arm. Like some worm or something crawling under my skin. I thought it was nothing, maybe muscle twitching, until my mom told me to rub some red oil on my arm. Then instantly a worm appeared on the surface to lick the oil, then went back in. I was frightened by the sight.
My mom took the red oil and rubbed it on my arm again. Immediately the worm surfaced, she grabbed my arm and pressed around it and pulled the worm out. It was painful but I was relieved it was over. And from that day forward I never left my clothes outside, or wore a damp cloth or turned my cloth to the back when spreading outside.
If you grew up in Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, you have heard this story before. What I experienced was not spiritual. It was Myiasis. And my father was right.
What Really Enters Your Clothes When You Leave Them Outside?
There is a fly called the Mango Fly, Tumbu Fly or Putzi Fly - scientific name Cordylobia anthropophaga. It is very common in Central and West Africa during rainy season.
This fly does not bite you directly. It is smarter.
1. The female mango fly finds damp, sweaty, urine-stained clothes that you spread outside. It loves the smell.
2. It lays 100-300 tiny eggs on the clothes, especially on the damp inner side that touches your skin.
3. When you pack the clothes before they dry well, or you leave them outside till evening and dew falls, the eggs survive.
4. When you wear the cloth, your body heat hatches the eggs in minutes. The tiny larvae bore into your skin without you feeling it. You just feel itching at first.
Then in 2-3 days, it grows inside you. You feel something moving. It feeds on your tissue. That is what happened to my arm.
There is also another fly - the Botfly. Same method. Doctors call the condition Cutaneous Myiasis.
Leaving clothes outside overnight makes it worse because:
- Flies are more active at dusk
- Dew makes dry clothes damp again, perfect for egg laying
- Moths, mosquitoes and other insects also perch and drop germs
- Dust and fungal spores settle on clothes left till next day
Why Turning Clothes to The Front (Inside-Out) Actually Protects You
Most of us were taught to turn clothes to the back (outside showing) so the color doesn't fade from sun. That is true for fashion, but dangerous for health.
My father's method - turning to the front, meaning inside-out - protects you because:
1. Eggs are laid on the outside layer: If the fly lays eggs on the outside of the cloth (which is now the inner side when spread), the eggs are exposed to direct sun. The sun's UV kills many of them. When you turn it back before wearing, the contaminated side is not touching your skin.
2. The part that touches your skin dries faster: The inner part that holds sweat needs more sun and air. Turning inside-out gives it that.
3. You are forced to shake and turn again: When you spread inside-out, you must turn it again before wearing or folding. That shaking removes many eggs.
It is not about "micro organisms flying around" exactly, but my father explained it the way he understood. He was 90% correct.
The 5 Rules I Now Follow - And Doctors Recommend
After my experience, I spoke to a nurse and read more. These are the rules now in my house, especially for children, babies, and underwear:
1. Never leave clothes outside after 6pm.
Pack them once they are dry. If sun is gone, take them inside even if slightly damp, and spread them inside on a chair near air. Do not leave overnight outside for any reason.
2. Spread clothes inside-out, especially underwear, singlets, and children's clothes.
Yes, color may fade small, but you can spread in shade but with air. Health is more than color. For expensive clothes you fear fading, spread inside-out under shade, not direct harsh sun, but never overnight.
3. Iron all clothes, especially inner parts.
Heat kills eggs and larvae instantly. This is the number one prevention doctors give in Africa. If you cannot iron everything, iron underwear, baby clothes, and towels. Pay attention to seams, armpits, and waistbands - flies love to lay there.
4. Never wear clothes that smell damp or "funny".
That funny smell after rain touched it is bacteria and maybe fly activity. Wash again. Do not manage it. I managed mine and paid with pain.
5. If you must dry outside where flies are many, cover or use line inside.
If you live in a bushy area like me in Benin, consider drying inside with fan, or using a net over your line. And never spread on the ground or on grass.
What To Do If You Feel Something Moving Under Your Skin After Wearing Clothes
Please, do not panic and do not try to squeeze it like a pimple. That can break the worm and cause infection.
The red oil method my mother used is a traditional trick - palm oil blocks the breathing hole of the larva so it comes out to breathe. Petroleum jelly works the same way. But traditional removal can cause infection if not clean.
Do this instead:
1. Cover the small boil-like bump with petroleum jelly or palm oil to block air.
2. Wait 30 minutes. The worm will start to come out.
3. Go to a clinic. A health worker will pull it out cleanly with sterile forceps and give you antibiotics to prevent infection and tetanus.
Watch for signs: A painful pimple that grows, with a small breathing hole on top, feeling movement inside, sometimes fever. That is not a normal pimple.
My father did not know the name Cordylobia anthropophaga. He did not know the word Myiasis. But he knew: If something flies and perches on the inside of your cloth, you harm yourself.
We, the younger generation, think our parents are too old-school. We leave clothes outside for 2 days because we are busy, we spread with outside showing for Instagram fine.
I learned the hard way. A single shirt gave me a worm in my arm.
From that day, I pack my clothes before sunset. I spread them inside-out. And I iron my underwear. No matter how tired I am.
If you have children, teach them this. It could save them from a painful experience that is 100% preventable.
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