Prevalence of dracunculiasis among Nigerian school children as an index of prevalence in their communities of origin.

A survey of dracunculiasis was carried out among pupils in their schools and among adults in the communities from which the pupils came, to determine whether the prevalence of infection in the pupils was a good index of the prevalence in their village. No significant difference was observed between the prevalence of current infection in pupils and that in their village of origin, although in some instances there were significant differences between the prevalence of previous infection in pupils and that in the corresponding village communities. The relevance and possible benefits of the rapid assessment of the prevalence of dracunculiasis obtained by a survey of school children are discussed.