Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Aug;83(2):215-25.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0140.

Nigeria's triumph: dracunculiasis eradicated

Emmanuel S Miri  1 , Donald R Hopkins, Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben, Adamu S Keana, P Craig Withers Jr, Ifeoma N Anagbogu, Lola K Sadiq, Oladele O Kale, Luke D Edungbola, Eka I Braide, Joshua O Ologe, Cephas Ityonzughul
Affiliations

Nigeria's triumph: dracunculiasis eradicated

Emmanuel S Miri et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Aug.

Abstract

This report describes how Nigeria, a country that at one time had the highest number of cases of dracunculiasis (Guinea worm disease) in the world, reduced the number of cases from more than 653,000 in 1988 to zero in 2009, despite numerous challenges. Village-based volunteers formed the foundation of the program, which used health education, cloth filters, vector control, advocacy for safe water, voluntary isolation of patients, and monitored program interventions and cases reported monthly. Other factors in the program's success were strong governmental support, advocacy by a former head of state of Nigeria, technical and financial assistance by The Carter Center, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, and many other partners and donors. The estimated cost of the Nigerian program during 1988-2009 is $37.5 million, not including funding for water supply projects or salaries of Nigerian governmental workers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Nigerian newspaper headline on President Carter's first visit to Nigeria for Guinea worm eradication, March 14, 1988.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Former Nigerian head of state General (Dr.) Yakubu Gowon addressing a group about Guinea worm eradication.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Local government areas reporting cases of dracunculiasis in Nigeria.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Number of cases of dracunculiasis reported by month in Nigeria in 1995, 2000, and 2005.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Reported indigenous cases of dracunculiasis in Nigeria, 1988–2009.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Numbers of dracunculiasis cases reported in Nigeria by zone, 2000–2009.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gooneratne BW. An additional note on the transmission of Dracunculus medinensis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1969;63:546. - PubMed
    1. Watts S. Dracunculiasis in the Caribbean and South America: a contribution to the history of dracunculiasis eradication. Med Hist. 2000;45:227–250. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Oldfield KA. On the diseases of the natives resident on the banks of the River Niger. Lond Med Surg J. 1835;8:403–406.
    1. Edungbola LD, Watts SJ, Kale OO. The distribution of dracunculiasis in Nigeria: a preliminary study. Int J Epidemiol. 1988;17:428–433. - PubMed
    1. Watts SJ. Dracunculiasis in Africa in 1986: its geographic extent, incidence, and at-risk population. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1987;37:119–125. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources