What M a k e s Wat er U nsa fe ?
55
Guinea worm
Guinea worm is a long, thin worm that lives under the skin and makes a
painful sore on the body. The worm, which looks like a white thread, can grow
to be more than 1 meter long. Guinea worm is found in parts of Africa, India,
and the Middle East.
Signs
A painful swelling usually on the ankle or leg, but can develop elsewhere on
the body. A few days to a week later, a blister forms which then quickly bursts
open and forms a sore. This often happens when standing in water or bathing.
The end of a white thread-like guinea worm can be seen poking out of the sore.
The worm works its way out of the body over the next week. If the sore gets
dirty and infected, or if the worm is broken by trying to pull it out, the pain
and swelling spread and walking can become very difficult.
Guinea worm is spread from person to person like this:
1. An infected person
with an open sore
wades into a water
hole. The worm
pokes out of the
sore and lays eggs
in the water.
2. T iny water fleas eat
the worm eggs.
3. Another person
drinks the water and
swallows the fleas and
the worm eggs in the
water.
4. S ome of the eggs
develop slowly into
worms under the skin.
After a year, a sore
forms when a worm
breaks through the
skin to lay eggs.
To treat guinea worms, see a health worker or a general health book such as
Where There Is No Doctor. Also, take steps to prevent new contact with worms.
To prevent guinea worms, protect water sources (see pages 75 to 85) and
filter water (see pages 94 to 97). If nobody wades or bathes in water used for
drinking, the infection cannot be passed on and will eventually disappear from
the area.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012