How Do You Recognize And Treat Guinea Worm Disease (Dracunculiasis)?
• Be aware that if you are infected with the worm, you will have no symptoms until about one year after you have been infected. • Know what to look for if you suspect you may have acquired the disease. The majority (90%) of the worms appear on the legs and feet, but may occur anywhere on the body. A few hours (or days), before the worm emerges, symptoms will appear. Look for: • Fever. • Pain and swelling in the affected area. • Look for a blister that develops on the skin at the site where the worm will emerge. This blister causes an especially painful burning sensation. The blister ruptures within 1-3 days. Understand that there is no drug to treat the disease and no vaccine to prevent the infection. Treatment consists of removing the worm from the body. This process includes: • As the worm emerges from the body, it is wrapped around a piece of gauze or a small stick and pulled out of the body a few inches at a time. Usually the process takes a few weeks or months to complete. • Analg
