Caring for someone with this diagnosis? Eleplan keeps diagnoses, medications, documents and every specialist in one plan.
Start free with EleplanDracunculiasis
ORPHA:231Disease
Also called Dracunculosis · Guinea worm disease · Medina worm disease · Medinensis
What it is
Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease) is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) characterized by a painful burning skin lesion from which the Dracunculus medinensis parasite emerges approximately 1 year after infection resulting from consumption of unsafe drinking water containing parasite-infected copepods (Cyclops spp., microcrustacea also called water fleas).
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Very common80–99%
8Common30–79%
5These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
ICD-10 codes
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
Powered by Eleplan
A rare diagnosis is just the start. Eleplan keeps the whole care plan in one place.
Diagnoses, medications, documents, appointments, and the whole care team — organized and always in sync, so you are not retelling the same story to every new specialist. With Ellie, your AI care assistant, on top of it. Free to start.