Guinea Worm Disease
Guinea Worm Disease Causes
The worms cause swelling and painful, burning blisters. To calm the burning, sufferers tend to go in the water, where the blisters burst, allowing the worm to emerge and release a new generation of millions of larvae. In the water, the larvae are taken back by small water fleas, and the cycle begins.
Guinea Worm Disease Definition
Commonly known as Dracunculiasis this is an infection caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. The parasite is alternately known as ?Guinea worm?.
Guinea Worm Disease Diagnosis
Diagnosis is usually made by seeing the adult worm protruding from a skin sore.
Guinea Worm Disease Symptoms and Signs
A few days to hours before the worm emerges, the person might develop a fever and have swelling and pain in the area where the worm is. A swelling develops and then opens into a wound. When the wound is dip into water, the worm begins to emerge. Usually worms appear on the legs and feet, but they can occur anywhere on the body. After the worm develop, the wound often becomes painfully swollen and infected.
Guinea Worm Disease Treatment
The most common practice to treat dracunculiasis involves wrapping the worm around a stick. This treatment has been employed for millennia and may have inspired the Rod of Asclepius which historically has symbolized the medical profession. Infected persons often do not have symptoms until about a year after they drink water contaminated with infected water fleas.