People become infected with the parasitic worm after drinking contaminated water or eating undercooked fish or other aquatic animals.
The pain resulting from the condition can be debilitating, and many are left with lifelong disabilities.
It will go over global prevention and eradication measures and coping with the condition.
A. Poyo/CDC/The Carter Center
What Are the Symptoms of Guinea Worm Disease?
People infected with Guinea worm dont typically have any symptoms until about a year after they’re first infected.
Its not until the worm is about to erupt from the skin that people start to feel sick.
This lasts an average of 8.5 weeks, though lifelong disability is common.
In some cases, these infections become life-threatening.
How Can People Get Guinea Worm Disease?
Guinea worm disease is due to the parasitic wormDracunculus medinensis, commonly called Guinea worm.
Inside, the larvae go through changes, and after two weeks, they are ready to be infective.
In addition, it’s been discovered that humans can contract Guinea worm disease by eating certain aquatic animals.
These fish or frogs aren’t affected by the disease themselves but can still carry Guinea worm larvae.
The larvae stay in the body for about a year as they mature into adult worms.
Female adults can grow to be about 2439 inches (60100 centimeters) long.
After mating, a worm starts to make its way toward the skin, causing physical discomfort.
Diagnosis
Guinea worm disease is diagnosed through a simple physical exam.
There are currently no diagnostic tests available to identify those infected before symptoms appear.
What Is the Treatment for Guinea Worm Disease?
Like many neglected tropical diseases, there is no cure or specific medication to treat Guinea worm disease.
Antibiotic ointment can also be applied to the affected areas to prevent a bacterial infection.
Many communities affected by Guinea worm disease, however, lack access to clean drinking water.
In those instances, any water used for drinking or cooking should be filtered.
These animals sometimes eat infected copepods.
Cooking their meat at a high temperature will kill off the larvae lurking inside.
House pets, such as dogs, should never be given uncooked fish entrails or other foods scraps either.
People can become infected with Guinea worm multiple times over the course of their lives.
In 2023, there were only 14 cases reported in humans.
Guinea worm affects dogs, for example, much like humans.
Guinea worm disease is overwhelmingly a disease of poverty.
The disease is extremely rare, with only 14 cases in humans documented worldwide in 2023.
Symptoms of Guinea worm disease typically start about a year after infection.
The parasite can break through the skin and cause painful blisters and open wounds, which risk getting infected.
Removing the worm as soon as possible is essential for recovery.
Pain relief medications and infection-preventing antibiotics may also be given.
The goal of the World Health Organization and affected countries is to eradicate the parasite by 2030.
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