![]() In 2012 there were fewer than 600 reported cases. Just 25 years ago, more than 3.5m people in 20 countries in Africa and Asia had GW. Thankfully, eradication programmes have left GWD relatively uncommon. Livelihoods are affected if people are unable to stand or walk. GWD isn’t fatal but the ulcer is intensely painful and debilitating and secondary bacterial infections can lead to blood poisoning. Instead, the worm is removed slowly by winding it around a small stick after it emerges: this may take weeks. ![]() There is no available treatment or vaccine. The female worm emerges from the ulcer releasing millions of larvae which are then eaten by other Cyclops. But, about a year later, a painful blister forms which ruptures, often after immersion in cool water. Infected people don’t usually have symptoms initially. After mating, the males die and females (up to 1m long x 1-2mm thick – think Angel hair pasta) migrate through the tissues to the surface of the skin, often in the feet/lower legs. Cyclops die in the stomach, releasing the larvae which penetrate the stomach and intestinal wall, before moving into body tissues to mature into adults. You pick up GW by drinking untreated water containing Cyclops infected with GW larvae. Guinea worm has a complicated life cycle involving minute Cyclops water fleas. Guinea worm (GW), Dracunculiasis medinensis, is a parasitic roundworm that causes Guinea Worm Disease (GWD) among people in poor rural areas with little access to clean water or health care. Giardiasis commonly resolves in a few weeks without treatment but in some people it persists and can cause malnutrition. Most cases are among travellers to areas where it’s common, children in day-care, or in people who drink untreated water. Some infected people go on to develop giardiasis, an intestinal illness characterised by profuse pale diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, flatulence, fatigue and weight loss.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |