Abstract
Between 1971 and 1974 a series of drug trials was conducted in 17 rural communities in western Nigeria where guinea-worm is endemic. During these trials and in subsequent years treatment, in the form of chemotherapy and/or dressing of ulcers, was given to all infected persons. A longitudinal study of infection in these villages showed a marked fall in the annual incidence over an 8-year period. The aggregate reduction in incidence in the three sectors surveyed was from 15.5% to 0.5% in sector 1, 29.8% to 0.4% in sector 2, and 20.3% to 0.0% in sector 3. The change appeared to be partly due to the treatment, which reduced the reservoir of infection and the rate of pollution of the water supply. Most of the sources of water continued to harbour Cyclops, none of which was found to be infected with Dracunculus, but which were shown experimentally to be capable of sustaining infection. The study demonstrates the potential role of therapeutic measures in controlling guinea-worm infection. It is suggested that the satisfactory measure of control that has been achieved could be increased by elimination of the Cyclops, with a view to total eradication of the disease from affected communities. Attention is drawn to the relevance of the findings for the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Cook J. A., Jordan P., Bartholomew R. K. Control of Schistosoma mansoni transmission by chemotherapy in St. Lucia. I. Results in man. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1977 Sep;26(5 Pt 1):887–893. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1977.26.887. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kale O. O. A controlled field trial of the treatment of dracontiasis with metronidazole and niridazole. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 1974 Mar;68(1):91–95. doi: 10.1080/00034983.1974.11686928. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kale O. O. Clinical evaluation of drugs for dracontiasis. Trop Doct. 1977 Jan;7(1):15–16. doi: 10.1177/004947557700700108. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kale O. O. The clinico-epidemiological profile of guinea worm in the Ibadan district of Nigeria. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1977 Mar;26(2):208–214. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1977.26.208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lyons G. R. The control of guineaworm with abate: a trial in a village of North-West Ghana. Bull World Health Organ. 1973;49(2):215–216. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Macdonald G. The dynamics of helminth infections, with special reference to schistosomes. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1965 Sep;59(5):489–506. doi: 10.1016/0035-9203(65)90152-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Muller R. Guinea worm disease: epidemiology, control, and treatment. Bull World Health Organ. 1979;57(5):683–689. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]