It's nice to hear some good news every once in a while: thanks to a multinational effort involving the CDC, the World Bank, the Carter Center, and local politicians, global Guinea worm infection rates in 1999 were only 4% of the rate reported in 1984, despite more comprehensive reporting. Apparently they launched a campaign, enlisting the aid of volunteers in each village to spread the word, successfully convincing people to filter their drinking water through cloth filters, and to keep worm ulcers out of water to prevent the worms from spawning.
A 96% drop in infection rates over 15 years is particularly remarkable when you consider that the campaign was based around changing people's behavior (as opposed to, say, giving them a vaccination). Kind of gives a person hope.
- Erika At 06:30 PM 3/4/2002 -0800, you wrote:
Yip, No problems with the Guinea worms in the US that I have heard of. Only in Africa. Kathy On Mon, 4 Mar 2002, Sanford, Dave LHS-STAFF wrote: > Many people value cyclops as a fry food. I get many of them from my daphina > pond. I really doubt that N.Am cyclops (or European) are carrying Guinea > worm. Kathy any imput on this?? > I wouldn't worry about it, just let the babies eat them. > Any chance of getting a start of Glossadelphus from you at the meeting next > week? > dave >