Guinea-worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is a parasitic disease that is transmitted through drinking stagnant water that has been contaminated with a tiny parasite-infected flea. Once inside the body, the larvae can mature into worms that grow up to 1 metre in length.

Symptoms of guinea-worm disease do not usually occur until one year after infestation. A person may develop a fever, swelling and pain in the area where the adult worm is ready to come out. The location may vary but 90% of the worms come out in the legs and feet.