Of water and worms: Guinea worm re-emergence in Niger

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the re-emergence of Guinea worm into the water bodies of the Tillabéri region of the Niger Sahel. It examines the period of re-emergence and subsequent decline from 2002 until 2006. Using a geographic information system combined with a statistical approach to examine the location data of lakes with Guinea worm-associated cases, it is shown that the locations of population centers with cases of Guinea worm disease, the locations of lakes infected with Guinea worm larva, and features of the built environment are correlated in space.