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Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire Apr 2001
Topics: Chad; Dracunculiasis; Humans; Population Surveillance
PubMed: 11957337
DOI: No ID Found -
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Nov 2021Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis, is traditionally acquired by drinking water containing copepods (water fleas)...
Dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease), caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis, is traditionally acquired by drinking water containing copepods (water fleas) infected with D. medinensis larvae, but in recent years also appears increasingly to be transmitted by eating fish or other aquatic animals. The worm typically emerges through the skin on a lower limb of the host 1 year after infection, causing pain and disability (1). There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent or medicine to treat dracunculiasis; eradication relies on case containment* to prevent water contamination and other interventions to prevent infection: health education, water filtration, treatment of unsafe water with temephos (an organophosphate larvicide), and provision of safe drinking water (1,2). The eradication campaign began in 1980 at CDC (1). In 1986, with an estimated 3.5 million cases occurring annually in 20 African and Asian countries (3), the World Health Assembly called for dracunculiasis elimination (4). The Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP), led by The Carter Center and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, CDC, and other partners, began assisting ministries of health in countries with endemic disease. With 27 cases in humans reported in 2020, five during January-June 2021, and only six countries currently affected by dracunculiasis (Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, South Sudan, and importations into Cameroon), achievement of eradication appears to be close. However, dracunculiasis eradication is challenged by civil unrest, insecurity, and epidemiologic and zoologic concerns. Guinea worm infections in dogs were first reported in Chad in 2012. Animal infections have now overtaken human cases, with 1,601 reported animal infections in 2020 and 443 during January-June 2021. Currently, all national GWEPs remain fully operational, with precautions taken to ensure safety of program staff and community members in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of COVID-19, The Carter Center convened the 2020 and 2021 annual GWEP Program Managers meetings virtually, and WHO's International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication met virtually in October 2020. Since 1986, WHO has certified 199 countries, areas, and territories dracunculiasis-free. Six countries are still affected: five with endemic disease and importations into Cameroon. Seven countries (five with endemic dracunculiasis, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan) still lack certification (4). The existence of infected dogs, especially in Chad, and impeded access because of civil unrest and insecurity in Mali and South Sudan are now the greatest challenges to interrupting transmission. This report describes progress during January 2020-June 2021 and updates previous reports (2,4,5).
Topics: Disease Eradication; Dracunculiasis; Global Health; Humans
PubMed: 34735420
DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7044a1 -
MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly... Nov 2023The effort to eradicate Dracunculus medinensis, the etiologic agent of dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, commenced at CDC in 1980. In 1986, with an estimated 3.5...
The effort to eradicate Dracunculus medinensis, the etiologic agent of dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, commenced at CDC in 1980. In 1986, with an estimated 3.5 million cases worldwide in 20 African and Asian countries, the World Health Assembly called for dracunculiasis elimination. The Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was established to help countries with endemic dracunculiasis reach this goal. GWEP is led by The Carter Center and supported by partners that include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and CDC. In 2012, D. medinensis infections were unexpectedly confirmed in Chadian dogs, and since then, infections in dogs, cats, and baboons have posed a new challenge for GWEP, as have ongoing civil unrest and insecurity in some areas. By 2022, dracunculiasis was endemic in five countries (Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan), with only 13 human cases identified, the lowest yearly total ever reported. Animal infections, however, were not declining at the same rate: 686 animal infections were reported in 2022, including 606 (88%) in dogs in Chad. Despite these unanticipated challenges as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, countries appear close to reaching the eradication goal. GWEP will continue working with country programs to address animal infections, civil unrest, and insecurity, that challenge the eradication of Guinea worm.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Dogs; Disease Eradication; Dracunculiasis; Pandemics; Global Health; World Health Organization
PubMed: 37943706
DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7245a4 -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire Mar 1995
Topics: Disease Outbreaks; Dracunculiasis; Humans; Water Pollution; Yemen
PubMed: 7718446
DOI: No ID Found -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire Jun 1991
Topics: Dracunculiasis; Ghana; Health Education; Humans; Population Surveillance; Water Supply
PubMed: 1830487
DOI: No ID Found -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire Nov 1995
Topics: Adult; Central African Republic; Dracunculiasis; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged
PubMed: 8534593
DOI: No ID Found -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire Jun 1993
Topics: Dracunculiasis; Incidence; Nigeria; Population Surveillance
PubMed: 8323864
DOI: No ID Found -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire Aug 1990
Topics: Dracunculiasis; Ghana; Humans; Prevalence
PubMed: 2145961
DOI: No ID Found -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire May 1990
Topics: Adult; Communicable Disease Control; Dracunculiasis; Female; Humans; India; Male; Program Evaluation; Public Health
PubMed: 2143677
DOI: No ID Found -
Releve Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire May 1996
Topics: Africa; Dracunculiasis; Humans; Incidence
PubMed: 8776191
DOI: No ID Found