Impact of guinea worm disease on children in Nigeria.
School attendance records of all primary schools in a guinea worm-endemic village in southwestern Nigeria were examined to determine the cause of missed school days and school drop-outs. At the time of the survey, 1,495 pupils (768 boys and 727 girls were registered in the 4 primary schools in the village, of which 21% of the pupils were infected with guinea worm disease (GWD). Female pupils had a higher infection rate than their male counterparts. Guinea worm-infected pupils missed up to 25% of school year days compared to a non-guinea worm-infected absence of 2.5%. At the height of guinea worm season in the study area, guinea worm-related absences contributed virtually all of the absenteeism recorded in the schools. Implications of the findings within the context of educational attainment of the pupils are discussed.
D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004320:Dracunculiasis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D012574:Schools