Rep. Ocasio-Cortez cites Alabama ringworm, a common skin disease, as example of healthcare crisis

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens during a news conference with members of the Progressive Caucus in Washington, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP


New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has clarified her statements regarding cases of ringworm in Alabama.

Ocasio-Cortez made the statements during a Martin Luther King Day event. When asked about economic systems that allowed billionaires, she said such a system was immoral if it existed “when there are parts of Alabama where people are still getting ringworm because they don’t have access to public health..."

Ringworm is a common skin infection that’s easily treated. Hookworm is a more serious condition caused by unsanitary conditions.


New York freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cited cases of ringworm in places like Alabama as an example of the lack of access to healthcare, in an apparent attempt to reference earlier reports of the more serious hookworm in the Southern state.

Speaking at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Harlem, Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, was asked if it was moral to live in a country where some people can become extremely wealthy while others live in poverty.

Ocasio-Cortez said that system was “immoral.”

“It’s important to stay that I don’t think that necessarily means that all billionaires are immoral. It’s not to say someone like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet are immoral people. I do not believe that,” she said.


Ocasio-Cortez has championed a range of ideas including the Green New Deal, a plan switch the U.S. to a 100 percent renewable energy electric grid, and a 70 percent marginal tax rate on those who earn $10 million or more.

Hookworm or ringworm?


Ringworm, the condition cited by Ocasio-Cortez is a different disease, however.

According to the Mayo Clinic, ringworm is a common fungal infection characterized by a red circular rash. Despite its name, no actual worm is involved. It is spread by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or animal and is akin to athlete’s foot or jock itch.

It is typically treated by over-the-counter antifungal medication.

The Alabama Department of Public Health lists ringworm as a reportable disease, though it’s only tracked for outbreaks as opposed to individual cases. ADPH listed three outbreaks in the last six years, but did not detail how many cases were included.