Guinea worm outbreak reported in the north

At least 5,000 people have been infected by guinea worms in the northern Nigerian state of Katsina, health officials said on Friday. They said the affected places included Matazu, Dutsin Ma and Rimi local council areas and that in the worst hit village, Karadua, over 3,000 people have the debilitating water-borne infection, while economic and social activities are paralysed. "We have received reports of the guinea worm epidemic and we're doing all we can to help," Alhaji Shehu, an official of the Katsina State ministry of health, told IRIN. "Our people are forced to drink contaminated water because of a lack good drinking water and this is the main cause of the disease," he added. Other officials who visited the affected areas said the only source of domestic water for the communities was pond water, which was invariably infested with the guinea worm. The parasite is found in many rural communities across Nigeria, most of which lack access to potable water.