RT Book, Section
A1 Schieffelin, John S.
A1 Oberhelman, Richard A.
A2 Rudolph, Colin D.
A2 Rudolph, Abraham M.
A2 Lister, George E.
A2 First, Lewis R.
A2 Gershon, Anne A.
SR Print(0)
ID 7030930
T1 Chapter 326. Dracunculiasis
T2 Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-149723-7
LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7030930
RD 2024/04/19
AB Dracunculiasis  (dracontiasis,  guinea  worm  disease)  is  caused  by  infection  of  subcutaneous  and  connective  tissues  with  the  guinea  worm  Dracunculus  medinensis.  Humans  are  the  only  known  reservoir.  Once  a  scourge  affecting  thousands  of  people  around  the  world,  the  range  of  this  organism  has  been  greatly  reduced  as  a  result  of  a  global  eradication  program  spearheaded  by  the  Carter  Center’s  Global  2000  program.  After  an  estimated  3.5  million  cases  in  1986,  25,217  cases  were  reported  in  2006.1Over  180  countries  have  now  been  certified  as  free  of  guinea  worm  by  the  World  Health  Organization.  Currently,  the  Carter  Center  and  the  Centers  for  Disease  Control  and  Prevention  (CDC)  estimate  that  the  incidence  of  guinea  worm  infection  fell  by  95%  between  1986  and  1996  such  that  it  is  now  estimated  that  there  are  fewer  than  10,000  cases,  which  are  limited  to  five  African  countries—Sudan,  Ghana,  Nigeria,  Niger,  and  Mali.  Sudan  alone  accounts  for  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  total  cases  reported  worldwide.  Virtually  all  cases  occur  in  rural,  isolated  areas.  The  economic  impact  of  infection  is  significant,  with  adults  losing  about  100  days  of  work  and  children  missing  25%  of  school  when  symptomatic.2,3