BugBitten Bad news for Guinea worms The prospect of eliminating a parasitic disease afflicting humans took a leap forward in 2020, despite restrictions caused by a global pandemic. 2 Feb 2021 Extracting a Guinea worm from the ankle by wrapping it around a stick. Credit: Public Health Image Library/1968 In the same week that the latest WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases report was published (featured in our blog last Friday), the Carter Foundation made two very encouraging announcements concerning Guinea Worm eradication. The Guinea worm Known as dracunculiasis, Guinea worm disease is caused by the round worm, Dracunculus medinensis. Infection occurs when water fleas, infected with the larval stages of the worm, are accidentally ingested. Males fertilise females and then die, but females begin to grow and, after many months, migrate to the extremities of the body, particularly the feet and legs.