From The Guardian
1. Have you heard about guinea worm before? If not, why not? (Learn more here)
Only 13 cases of guinea worm disease were reported worldwide in 2022, a
provisional figure that if confirmed would be the smallest ever
documented, the US-based Carter Center has said.
2. Is this a prevalence or incidence figure?
3. You've learned how to design studies to measure prevalence or incidence. But how would you design a study to measure these in a population when the hypothesised value is 0.0? How do you prove an infection has been eliminated?
The remaining endemic countries are Chad, where six of last year’s human
cases occurred; South Sudan, which recorded five; Ethiopia, which saw
one; and Angola, Mali and Sudan, which recorded no cases. The Central
African Republic, a non-endemic country, reported one case, which is
under investigation.
4. If you were the Minister of Health of Chad or Ethiopia, could you justify the national guinea worm programme as a public health priority? Surely the money could be spent better elsewhere?