Guinea worm-Ghana records lowest cases

Pg 3. Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho

GUINEA worm infestation cases in Ghana last year was 3,432, the lowest number recorded since the the Guinea Worm Eradication Pogramme (GWEP) was introduced in 1989.
Although figures for 1989 to 1994 are not available, the record showed that there were 8,432 cases in 1994 peaking to 9,027 in 1999.
The National Programme Manager of GWEP, Dr Andrew Seidu Korkor told a media briefing workshop on progress so far made on the eradication process that the country was on course at totally eradicating guinea worm from the country by 2009.
The eradication programme, he said, will however have to be sustained for three years before the country can be certified as Guinea Worm free by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The country, he said recorded its lowest number of cases of 167 for the first time from October to December 2007 as against 1,165 cases during the same period in 2006.
This according to him was an unprecedented record that needed to be sustained if the country is to be freed from guinea worm.
The Northern Region, he said has been identified as the most endemic area contributing 96 per cent of the total cases across the country with most cases coming from the Savelugu District, followed by the Brong Ahafo Region 1.3 per cent, the Volta and Upper West Regions 7 percent each while the other regions contributed 1.0 per cent of total cases reported.
He noted that since guinea worm had a one-year incubation period, the progress made was good news to the country and added that a further reduction was expected for 2008.
Dr Korkor said the disease was more prevalent in areas where there is scarcity of potable water and therefore the government, together with other development partners such as UNICEF, WHO, JICA, Church of Christ, World Vision, Ghana among others were working to ensure that adequate portable water were supplied to communities that are most affected.
He said although the Guinea worm disease was a health problem, it required the intervention of all since it affected all sectors in the country.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Mrs Gladys Norley Ashitey, in an address, attributed the achievements so far made to the prudent measures that were taken by the government and its development partners.
She mentioned some of the interventions as the opening of case treatment centres in September 2006 to January 2007, the provision of funds for free treatment of guinea worm patients and the finalisation of several water projects in some towns including Sang, Daire, Savelugu and Wantugu.
The Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias K. Sory said there was the need for measures to be taken so that the gains made so far do not become a wasted effort and called for the documentation on the country’s eradication process so as to serve as a reference point in future.
As part of its social responsibility, the Managing Director of Barclays Bank, Ms Magaret Mwanakatwe presented a cheque of GH¢8,941 to support the programme.