Treatments for Dracunculiasis
Treatments of Dracunculiasis discussion:
Once the worm emerges from the wound, it can only be pulled out a few centimeters each day
and wrapped around a small stick. Sometimes the worm can be pulled out completely within a
few days, but this process usually takes weeks or months.
No medication is available to end or prevent infection. However, the worm can be surgically
removed before an ulcer forms. Analgesics, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, can help reduce
swelling; antibiotic ointment can help prevent bacterial infections.1
Once the worm emerges from the wound, it can only be pulled out a few centimeters each day and wrapped around a small stick. Sometimes the worm can be pulled out completely within a few days, but this process usually takes weeks or months (average 3 months). 2
No medication is available to end or prevent infection. However, the
worm can be surgically removed before the wound begins to swell.
Antihistamines and antibiotics may reduce swelling and ease extraction
of the worm.
2
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Dracunculiasis: DPD
2. excerpt from Facts About Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease): CDC-OC
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