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Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease)

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Book cover Neglected Tropical Diseases - Sub-Saharan Africa

Part of the book series: Neglected Tropical Diseases ((NTD))

Abstract

Dracunculiasis, also known as guinea worm disease, is caused by the nematode Dracunculus medinensis that infects humans typically through unsafe drinking water. The disease occurs in the most remote and poor areas of the world. There is neither a vaccine to prevent nor medication to treat the disease. Nevertheless, the disease has been set for eradication since the 1980s and is eliminated from many of the endemic countries through preventive measures that include behavioural change in patients and communities, self-reporting of suspected cases to health workers or volunteers, filtering drinking water, drinking water from improved sources and preventing infected individuals from entering or swimming in drinking water sources. These are complemented by vector control and provision of improved water sources. In 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the disease had reached its lowest levels ever recorded to date. This chapter reviews, among other things, the epidemiology of the disease and the progress made in eradicating dracunculiasis since the eradication campaign began, the biology, the eradication strategies, current challenges to the eradication, further research for control and the outlook for the next 10 years.

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Acknowledgements

Dr. Dirk Engels for his guidance and encouragement in preparing this section, Mrs. Lakshmi Jonnalagedda for editing the text and to all the health officials and volunteers in the field for fighting against the disease interaction with whom over period of time has resulted in much of the material for this paper.

Disclaimer

The authors are staff members of the World Health Organization. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication, and they do not necessarily represent the decisions, policy or views of the World Health Organization. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland

    Dieudonne P. Sankara, Junerlyn Agua-Agum & Gautam Biswas

  2. Inter-country Support Team – West Africa, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Avenue de l’Indépendance No. 158, Ouagadougou, 03 BP 7019, Burkina Faso

    Andrew S. Korkor

Authors
  1. Dieudonne P. Sankara
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  2. Andrew S. Korkor
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  3. Junerlyn Agua-Agum
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  4. Gautam Biswas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dieudonne P. Sankara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ofc of Research, Innovation & Dev, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    John Gyapong

  2. Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Boakye Boatin

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Sankara, D.P., Korkor, A.S., Agua-Agum, J., Biswas, G. (2016). Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease). In: Gyapong, J., Boatin, B. (eds) Neglected Tropical Diseases - Sub-Saharan Africa. Neglected Tropical Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25471-5_3

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