Epidemiology of dracunculiasis and its socio-economic impact in a village in south-west Nigeria

Abstract

An epidemiological survey of dracunculiasis conducted in a village in Oluyole Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria, from January to June 1985 revealed that of a sample of 851 subjects interviewed and examined 52.2% had had infection at one time or the other while 28.7% were females (30.3%) than males (27.0%) were infected, the difference was not statistically significant. The prevalence increased with age and infection was found to be uncommon in children below one year of age. Reinfection after infancy is a common feature and all the infected people regularly drank untreated pond water. 85.8% claimed they knew that they were infected before the formation of the characteristics guineaworm bleb; of these 56.6% became aware of infection two to five days prior to the formation of the bleb. 70% had had more than one worm emerging at a time, mainly in the lower parts of the body. Most of the infected people (76.0%) became clinically ill in the dry season and 93.4% of these were incapacitated for an average of 26 days from each infection.