GUINEA WORM POSTER

Date

38777

Description

A sign in Taha, Ghana warns those with Guinea worm disease not to enter the water. The worms create painful blisters in the skin through which they slowly exit the body, people often seek relief from the pain by soaking it in water. However, when people with emerging worms bathe or step into sources of drinking water, the worm will release hundreds of thousands of eggs, or larvae into the water. Water fleas then eat the larvae, and people who drink unfiltered water from the the pond become infected - continuing the life cycle of the parasite

Source

The Carter Center Office of Public Information, Health Programs
453 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30307
www.cartercenter.org