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Guinea Worm

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Dracunculiasis the disease commonly known as Guinea Worm is caused by the parasitic worm Dracunculus Medinensis . Guinea Worm disease only occurs in 10% of the world’s poorest populations who has no access to safe drinking water or health care. This parasitic worm is the largest of parasites affecting the human’s tissues. The risk for Dracunculiasis varies by ones sex, age, profession, and ethnicity. These differences reflect from how people’s drinking water is obtained in these countries. Drancunculiasis is commonly found now in Southern Sudan. About the same number of men and women are equally infected. Guinea Worm is common among the ages of 15–45 years old. People in this age group are known to be farmers, herders, and water fetchers for the household. Water fetchers often affected more due to the fact that they are more likely to drink contaminated water while away from home.
People become infected with Guinea worm by drinking stationary water containing copepods tiny "water fleas" that carry Guinea worm. It takes about 2 weeks to mature inside the copepods before they can infect humans. Measuring 2-3 feet in length the adult female can carry about 3 million embryos within one person. This parasite migrates through the victim's subcutaneous tissues causing severe pain especially when it occurs in the joints. The worm eventually emerges causing an intense pain, blisters and ulcers accompanied by fever, nausea and vomiting. Studies show that biological factors can increase ones susceptibility. Not everyone drinking from the same contaminated water supply will become infected.

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