Progress Toward Global Eradication of Dracunculiasis — January 2017–June 2018

Hopkins, Donald R.; Ruiz‐Tiben, Ernesto; Weiss, Adam; Roy, Sharon L.; Zingeser, J.; Guagliardo, Sarah Anne J.

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6745a3

Cited by 23 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…In 2013, there were 57 infections in 39 villages, but this number increased to 1287 infections in 238 villages by 2016. This increase in infections is likely the result of both the spread of the parasite and increased intensity of surveillance [ 10 ]. For our analyses, we considered a village to be positive for Guinea worm if there had been at least one dog infection reported at any time during our five-year study window.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We obtained data on D. medinensis infections in domestic dogs from the Guinea worm eradication program led by the Chad Ministry of Health and supported by The Carter Center and the World Health Organization [10]. The surveillance data used in this study were collected between 2013-2017 from 2125 villages located along the Chari river.…”

Section: Infection Presence and Predictor Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many of the same control strategies applied to human disease are also now used to control Guinea worm transmission in dogs, along with new approaches such as recommendations to bury or burn fish entrails to prevent dog ingestion of the parasite [2]. However, while these efforts have been largely effective at interrupting human transmission, they have not influenced numbers of dog infections in the countries where the parasite remains endemic [10]. Thus, additional insight into the correlates of Guinea worm transmission is needed to help inform future elimination strategies for dogs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying correlates of Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) infection in domestic dog populations

et al. 2020

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Few human infectious diseases have been driven as close to eradication as dracunculiasis, caused by the Guinea worm parasite (Dracunculus medinensis). The number of human cases of Guinea worm decreased from an estimated 3.5 million in 1986 to mere hundreds by the 2010s. In Chad, domestic dogs were diagnosed with Guinea worm for the first time in 2012, and the numbers of infected dogs have increased annually. The presence of the parasite in a non-human host now challenges efforts to eradicate D. medinensis, making it critical to understand the factors that correlate with infection in dogs. In this study, we evaluated anthropogenic and environmental factors most predictive of detection of D. medinensis infection in domestic dog populations in Chad. Using boosted regression tree models to identify covariates of importance for predicting D. medinensis infection at the village and spatial hotspot levels, while controlling for surveillance intensity, we found that the presence of infection in a village was predicted by a combination of demographic (e.g. fishing village identity, dog population size), geographic (e.g. local variation in elevation), and climatic (e.g. precipitation and temperature) factors, which differed between northern and southern villages. In contrast, the presence of a village in a spatial infection hotspot, was primarily predicted by geography and climate. Our findings suggest that factors intrinsic to individual villages are highly predictive of the detection of Guinea worm parasite presence, whereas village membership in a spatial infection hotspot is largely determined by location and climate. This study provides new insight into the landscape-scale epidemiology of a debilitating parasite and can be used to more effectively target ongoing research and possibly eradication and control efforts.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Infection Presence and Predictor Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying correlates of Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) infection in domestic dog populations

et al. 2020

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“…The global Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP), led by The Carter Center and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners, began assisting ministries of health in countries with dracunculiasis. This report, based on updated health ministry data, describes progress to eradicate dracunculiasis during January 2018–June 2019 and updates previous reports ( 2 , 4 , 5 ). With only five countries currently affected by dracunculiasis (Angola, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, and South Sudan), achievement of eradication is within reach, but it is challenged by civil unrest, insecurity, and lingering epidemiologic and zoologic questions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 68%

“…The worm typically emerges through the skin on a lower limb approximately 1 year after infection, resulting in pain and disability ( 1 ). There is no vaccine or medicine to treat the disease; eradication efforts rely on case containment* to prevent water contamination and other interventions to prevent infection, including health education, water filtration, chemical treatment of unsafe water with temephos (an organophosphate larvicide to kill copepods), and provision of safe drinking water ( 1 , 2 ). In 1986, with an estimated 3.5 million cases † occurring each year in 20 African and Asian countries § ( 3 ), the World Health Assembly called for dracunculiasis elimination ( 4 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%