1. a parasitic disease caused by infection with the Guinea worm, transmitted through contaminated drinking water and characterized by painful blisters and ulcers on the skin
Usage: medical term; also called Guinea worm disease

Examples

• Dracunculiasis is endemic in parts of Africa and Asia where access to clean water is limited.
• The World Health Organization has worked to eradicate dracunculiasis through improved sanitation programs.
• Symptoms of dracunculiasis typically appear 10 to 14 months after infection.
• Dracunculiasis cases have declined dramatically since the 1980s due to public health initiatives.
• The disease dracunculiasis is caused by the parasitic nematode Dracunculus medinensis.