Racer's Travel Journals

Racer

 
What was the strangest food you ate while traveling?

whale and alpaca

  • 31 years old
  • From Denver, United States
  • Currently in Denver, United States

Our Curious World

The world is a fascinating place! Working in 23 different countries, Experiential Learning International and our volunteers have seen some crazy stuff.

July 17, 2009

Ghana Ghana  |  Jul 17, 2009
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 Beware of the W.O.U.S! 

Tropical diseases happen.  It is one of the perils of traveling abroad.  It does seem, however, that the truly bizarre ones always seem to come out of Africa.

In Ghana, there is a very good reason to not swim in fresh water... the guinea worm.  This small parasite begins life as a simple water flea.  Once ingested into the body, however, the flea enters the bloodstream and begins to grow into a worm.  Over the course of approximately 1 year, during which time the host will experience no symptoms, the worm will grow to be as long as 3 feet, and thin as a paperclip.  It will then settle, usually in the legs where the blood flow is slowest, and begin to eat it's way through the skin.  At this point, the only way to remove the invader is to wrap the end around a small stick and twist it, slowly pulling the worm out of the body.  Unfortunately, this process can take months.  If the worm breaks, it re-enters the bloodstream and the patient has to wait for it to again re-emerge.  There is no cure or any form of medication to prevent infection.  It's gross... don't get it.

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