[Dracunculus medinensis infestation following holidays in West Africa. Epidemiological implications (author's...

All 50 patients with dracunculiasis admitted to a Paris hospital during a 3-year period were West African immigrant workers, 70% of whom came from a very limited geographical area. Only 6 of the workers were "first arrival"; the others had contracted filariasis during holidays in their home country. The mean duration of stay in hospital was 40 days. In 40 of the patients who had spent 6 months or less in their home country, the exact dates of first arrival in France, departure to, and return from, Africa and emergence of adult worms were available, so that the duration of the Dracunculus medinensis cycle (mean: 12 +/- 1,7 months) and the period of local transmission could be determined. These epidemiological data account for the seasonal character of infestation and for the occurrence of dracunculiasis in France. They also exclude a diagnosis of filariasis based on more or less suggestive symptoms when the delays after possible infestation are either too long or too short.