Explanation – Guinea worm disease is caused by the parasitic worm Dracunculus medinensis. It is an infectious ‘Neglected tropical disease’ (NTD). It is basically a human disease. However, it can also spread to animals and humans by eating certain aquatic animals that might carry Guinea worm larvae, like fish or frogs. It is transmitted through drinking water containing Guinea worm larvae. It affects poor communities in remote parts of Africa that do not have safe water to drink.  It can be prevented by filtering drinking water through a piece of fine-mesh cloth, chlorination, or boiling. There is no drug & vaccine to prevent Guinea worm infection. India eliminated GWD in the 1990s and it received GWD-free certification from the WHO in 2000.

Source: Forum IAS