SUSTAIN EFFORTS TO CHECK RE-EMERGENCE OF GUINEA WORM (BACK PAGE, JULY 29, 2011)

GHANA still stands the risk of the re-emergence of the guinea worm disease should the disease be imported to the country, the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama has warned.
According to him, until guinea worm is eradicated globally, the country cannot rest on its shores and continue to revel over the success of the eradication programme.
“For us in West Africa, our immediate threat is Mali, which is entering the transmission season,” he stated, adding that the disease was still prevalent in countries like Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia.
Mr Mahama gave this caution in Tamale when he formally declared the good news that Ghana has interrupted the cycle of guinea worm infections, since there has not been any case over a fourteen-month period.
Fourteen months is said to be the maximum incubation period for the worm, and, therefore, if there was any infection last year, it should have been detected by now.
With the interruption of the indigenous transmission of guinea worm, the country would now focus on strengthening surveillance nationwide to ensure that the gains are sustained for a period of three years, when the World Health Organisation (WHO) would declare the country guinea worm free.
At the Annual Mid-Year Review Meeting of the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) in Tamale, Mr Mahama described the feat achieved by the country as a major milestone.
He observed that the enormity of the disease burden in the 1980s and 90s was alarming.
“The past 23 years have been difficult and marred by several incidents that disrupted the eradication efforts,” he said, adding that this time, the country must stand firm and ensure that there are no drawbacks.
Mr Mahama said government’s commitment to providing safe water was unwavering and that this remains the most potent way of curbing the disease.
He urged the media to play a major role in sensitising and alerting communities on the guinea worm disease.
The Minister of Health, Mr Joseph Yileh Chireh announced an amount of GH¢200 reward for any person who reported a case confirmed to be guinea worm.
He said the government would continue to work with its partners towards strengthening surveillance.
The National Programme Manager of GWEP, Dr Seidu Korkor mentioned that key among the eradication efforts was the prevention of re-infection through the containment of reported cases, increased surveillance and policing of water sources.
He said much effort also went into the provision of safe sources of drinking water and in assisting communities that relied on dams and other open water sources to filter and treat the water before use.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba said in order to give special attention to the fight against guinea worm, his office created an inter-agency committee to co-ordinate the eradication efforts.
He said apart from enacting bye-laws to protect water bodies, district assemblies were also asked to use personnel of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to police sources of drinking water.
Ghana now becomes the 17th country to have broken transmission of guinea worm disease.