Related Experiment Videos
[School absenteeism due to dracunculosis in Benin]
1Médecin, entomologiste médical ORSTOM, Centre OCCGE de Cotonou.
Bulletin De La Societe De Pathologie Exotique (1990)
|January 1, 1991
Summary
Guinea Worm disease significantly impacts school attendance in Benin. Infected children miss an average of 104 days, with 32 days bedridden, highlighting the disease
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
Context:
- Study conducted in the Benin Republic, a region highly endemic for Guinea Worm disease.
- Longitudinal observation in five sentinel villages over four years, supplemented by a nationwide school survey.
- Focus on the impact of Guinea Worm (dracunculiasis) on school-aged children.
Purpose:
- To determine the effect of Guinea Worm infection on school attendance rates.
- To establish correlations between disease incidence, prevalence, and absenteeism.
- To assess the utility of school-based studies for estimating disease burden.
Summary:
- In sentinel villages, 17.7% of school-aged children were infected annually, with an average disease duration of 104 days (32 bedridden).
- A significant correlation (r=0.82, p<0.001) was found between Guinea Worm incidence and missed school days.
- Nationwide, 40% of infected children were absent on the study day, with strong incidence-prevalence correlation (r=0.96, p<0.00001).
Impact:
- Confirms high levels of school absenteeism due to Guinea Worm, as reported by other studies.
- Highlights secondary absenteeism caused by the need for children to replace sick family members.
- Demonstrates the strong correlation between school-based metrics and general population disease incidence, suggesting schools as effective surveillance tools.