He said Ghana has gone 14 months since it reported its last case of the water borne disease thereby becoming the seventeenth newest country in the world to have broken transmission of the disease.
Going 14 months without an indigenous case of guinea worm, means the nation has passed one incubation period or cycle and therefore broken transmission of the disease. Subject to external verification, which will occur over the next three years, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) now believes that the disease no longer exist in the country.
The battle to eliminate the disease has been waged by the GHS in conjunction with The Carter Centre and many local and international partners. Verification will be done by GHS in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Vice President also announced that the reward for anyone who can produce a verified case will now be raised from GH¢100.00 to GH¢200.00 (USD$135). “We ask the population to continue to look for the disease in the years to come and are therefore increasing the reward. We have a vast country and therefore guinea worm can also be re-introduced from other countries, so we must keep our guard up with ongoing surveillance”, said Mr. Mahama. Fewer than 1,800 cases of guinea worm exist in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Mali and an isolated outbreak in Chad.
Former United States President and guinea worm eradication leader Jimmy Carter recognized Ghana’s historic achievement by stating, “The Carter Centre and its partners congratulate Ghana on wiping out guinea worm disease from its borders. We look forward to the final eradication of the ancient disease worldwide.” The Carter Centre has worked with GHS since the National Guinea Worm Eradication Program began in 1988.
“Ghana’s triumph over guinea worm disease serves as a reminder to the world and the remaining endemic countries that the greatest challenges can be overcome with hard work, political commitment, and the support of the international community,” said President Carter, founder of The Carter Centre, which has led an international campaign to eradicate the disease.
The Carter Centre began leading the international guinea worm eradication campaign in 1986. The following year, the Centre and Ghana collaborated making Ghana one of The Carter Centre Guinea Worm Eradication Program’s first country partners. Nearly 180,000 cases of guinea worm disease were reported during the country’s first national case search in 1989. This ranked Ghana second in the world in cases at the time.
Strong partnerships throughout the campaign helped the nation overcome many challenges and setbacks, including a massive guinea worm outbreak in Savelugu town in 2007. As a result of redoubled program efforts and reaffirmed national and international commitments, cases were reduced the following year by 85% percent –the greatest single-year reduction of any moderately endemic country in the history of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Guinea worm disease afflicts the world’s poorest and most isolated communities. Also known as dracunculiasis, guinea worm disease is contracted when people consume water contaminated with guinea worm larvae. After a year, a meter-long worm slowly emerges from the body through a painful blister in the skin. The ancient disease is being wiped out through health education and behavioral change, for example teaching people to filter all drinking water and keeping anyone with an emerging worm from entering water sources. There are no vaccines or medicines to prevent or treat the disease.
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