If the fish or frogs are eaten raw or undercooked, the Guinea worm larvae are then released into the human or animal digestive tract.įollowing ingestion, the copepods die and release the larvae, which penetrate the host stomach and intestinal wall and move to the connective tissues of the abdomen where they mate. People who drink water containing copepods that have swallowed Guinea worm larvae can develop Guinea worm disease.Īlternatively, it is believed that people and animals might also become infected by eating certain aquatic animals, like fish or frogs, that might have swallowed infected copepods and might carry Guinea worm larvae but do not themselves suffer the effects of infection. These copepods swallow Guinea worm larvae. People become infected with Guinea worms by drinking unfiltered water from ponds and other stagnant water containing copepods (tiny “water fleas” too small to be clearly seen without a magnifying glass).

GWD is considered by global health officials to be a neglected tropical disease (NTD ) and it is the first parasitic disease targeted for eradication. As a result of research into the cause of Guinea worm infections in animals, it is now believed that GWD might also be spread to both animals and humans by eating certain aquatic animals that might carry Guinea worm larvae, like fish or frogs, but do not themselves suffer the effects of transmission. However, in recent years infections in animals, particularly in dogs, have been reported. In wet regions, people generally get infected during the dry season, when surface water is drying up and becoming stagnant. In dry regions, people generally get infected during the rainy season, when stagnant surface water is available. GWD can occur at any time of the year but occurs most commonly during peak transmission season, which varies from country to country. GWD affects poor communities in remote parts of Africa that do not have safe water to drink. GWD is spread by drinking water containing Guinea worm larvae. A parasite is an organism that feeds off another organism to survive. Dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea worm disease (GWD), is an infection caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis.

When i squeeze my nose pores worms