What is the economic importance of Guinea worm?

Economic Importance: The majority of human infections occur in parts of West Africa, East Africa, and India. In south-eastern Nigeria the guinea worm disease, dracunculiasis, is responsible for an 11.6\% decrease in the total rice crop, valued at $20 million (how?

Why is Guinea worm a good candidate for eradication?

From a biological perspective, Guinea worm disease is a good candidate. Humans are essential for the life cycle of D. medinensis, and there is no significant animal reservoir, meaning there is no other species which the Guinea worm can infect long-term.

What happens if a Guinea worm breaks?

If the worm breaks during removal it can cause intense inflammation as the remaining part of the dead worm starts to degrade inside the body. This causes more pain, swelling, and cellulitis[1, 2].

Is Guinea worm eradicated in the world?

Incidences of Guinea worm disease have been reduced from an estimated 3.5 million in 1986 to 27* in 2020. The disease has been eliminated in 17 countries. The Guinea worm eradication campaign has averted at least 80 million cases of this devastating disease among the world’s poorest and most neglected people.

Is Guinea worm a waterborne disease?

Dracunculiasis, also called Guinea-worm disease, is a parasitic infection by the Guinea worm, Dracunculus medinensis. A person becomes infected from drinking water that contains water fleas infected with guinea worm larvae….

How is the Guinea worm transmitted to humans?

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). These copepods swallow Guinea worm larvae.

Can you pull a tapeworm out of your mouth?

After sedating the man, a team of physicians at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences Hospital in New Delhi was able to extract the worm by pulling it through his mouth with a pair of forceps. When removed, the tapeworm measured 6.1 feet and was classified as a Taenia solium, otherwise known as a pork tapeworm.

Why is eliminating Guinea worm so difficult?

The eradication of Guinea worm disease has faced several challenges: Inadequate security in some endemic countries. Lack of political will from the leaders of some of the countries in which the disease is endemic. The need for change in behavior in the absence of a magic bullet treatment like a vaccine or medication.

Is Guinea worm disease zoonotic?

Currently, Guinea worm disease is considered a zoonosis, with dogs being the main reservoir, reaching high rates of infection, thus jeopardizing its eradication. An alternative route of foodborne parasite transmission has been suggested for dogs by means of the ingestion of infected frogs and/or fish.

Can parasites come out of your feet?

If an infected person poops outside or their poop is spread outside later, those hookworm eggs end up in the soil. When the eggs hatch, they release young hookworms, or larvae. If you walk barefoot over this soil, the young worms can enter your body through the skin on your feet and cause an infection.