Vietnam has reported 24 cases of Dracunculiasis, also known as Guinea-worm disease, across five provinces from 2020 to date, despite the disease previously being confined to just four African countries.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Trung Dung, head of the parasitology department at the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology, and Entomology, stated that the highest number of cases was recorded in Yen Bai Province with 11, followed by Phu Tho Province with eight, Thanh Hoa Province with two, Hoa Binh Province with one, and Lao Cai Province with two. 

The most recent case was reported in August 2024, with all affected individuals being male.

Dr. Dung noted that the Dracunculiasis worm can grow up to several meters long and was once only seen in four African countries with poor environmental conditions. 

In 1998, Vietnam was certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as free from Dracunculiasis, but the disease surfaced in 2020 with the detection of the first patient.

On Tuesday, Dr. Dung and WHO experts discussed the disease. 

The WHO experts recommended that Vietnam monitor and identify the species involved, as it may be a new strain of Dracunculiasis that differs from the one typically found in African patients.

Dr. Dung also explained that there is no cure or vaccine for Dracunculiasis. 

Patients must wait for the worm to emerge from their skin through blisters or lesions. 

Once the worm begins to exit, it is carefully covered to avoid breaking and is removed gradually, with some cases taking over a day for the worm to fully escape.

Surgical intervention or breaking the worm is not advised, as this can release millions of larvae into the skin, potentially causing reinfection or severe inflammation. 

Dr. Dung confirmed that there have been cases where this occurred.

If the worm does not emerge through the skin, it may degenerate or migrate to joints, causing additional health issues. 

The typical incubation period for symptoms is 11-12 months.

Consumption of undercooked meat from animals such as snakes or frogs, as well as drinking untreated water contaminated with larvae are the primary causes of this disease.

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