Dracunculiasis follows ingestion of freshwater contaminated with copepods (water fleas) that contain the parasitic nematode Dracunculiasis medinensis. The affliction is ancient. It has been identified in a 3,000- year-old mummy and is believed to be described in the Old Testament as the “fiery serpent” responsible for torturing the Hebrews during their exodus from Egypt.
