Key Object Page

Guinea Worm

he Guinea-worm (Dracunculus medinensis ) is a tissue parasite which affects humans and is spread through drinking contaminated water. It travels through subcutaneous tissue, causing severe pain, typically in the joints. After about a year, it will emerge, usually from the infected person’s feet. Just before it emerges, the guinea-worm causes blisters to form parts of the afflicted persons body (typically the feet.) The blister will burst after 24-72 hours after which, the guinea-worm will emerge from the wound. Removal of the parasite is slow. It is wrapped around gauze or a stick and pulled out gradually, if part of the guinea-worm breaks of it will retreat back inside its host. Depending on the size of the guinea-worm (they can reach up to 1 meter in length) the removal process can take anywhere between a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Thankfully guinea-worm disease is on the verge of eradication. According to the WHO there were only 30 cases of the disease reported in 2017.