Cultural considerations in guinea worm eradication programmes

ABSTRACT

The area most severely affected by dracunculiasis is West Africa especially Benin; Ghana; Cote d'Ivoire; Mali; Niger; Nigeria; Togo; and Burkina Faso. It is estimated that about 10-48 million infections occur annually; especially among adults of working age. Adult male farmers in endemic areas are particularly at risk of infection; apparently because of the large volume of water they are likely to consume from contaminated surface sources while working in the fields (2). There are at present in Nigeria at least three million people infected with guinea worm. Even though fatal cases of the disease are rare; except when secondarily complicated by tetanus; the socio-economic toll is substantial