The hookworms can live in humans for 6 months to a year and even longer.
In some cases some hookworms can live in humans for as long as 10 years if they are not killed off.
If you have hookworms in your body you need to get medicine and get treatment for the hookworms so that they can be killed off quickly.
The hookworms that are left in your body can cause health issues so it's important to kill the hookworms if you're infected with them.
A doctor will take a stool sample of your poop and then examine the poop sample under a microscope to see and look for hookworm eggs or hookworms.
It can be hard to see the hookworms with the naked eye so a microscope is needed.