Date of Award
8-1-2025
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Benti, Getahun
Abstract
The prevalence of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in tropical regions of Africa has impeded the improvement of public health on the continent. Unlike pandemics, which affect the entire society, NTDs are predominant in rural areas and attract less government attention. Focusing on surveillance and eradication of Guinea Worm Disease (GWD), the thesis explores efforts to eradicate the disease in Abakliki, Ebonyi State, tracing it to colonial Nigeria. It contests that guinea worm surveillance and eradication in Nigeria did not begin in the 1980s as argued by existing literature but an event of the 1950s. The neglect of the Nigerian government to eradicate diseases that are not a threat to their survival made guinea worm eradication difficult in the country until the Carter Center intervened. While acknowledging the efforts of the World Health Organization, The Carter Center, and other international agencies in combating guinea worm in Nigeria, the thesis examines the eradication program in Abakaliki in the context of Michel Foucault’s concept of Noso-politics. Using primary and secondary evidence, the thesis further argues that this program helped in improving public health, economic revenue, and human capital development of the endemic villages in Abakliki. It concludes that the strategies used in eradicating guinea worms in Nigeria should be replicated to fight other NTDs.
Access
This thesis is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.