GHANA CELEBRATES GUINEA WORM ERADICATION (BACK PAGE, JULY 28, 2011)

A COLOURFUL durbar was yesterday held at Diare in the Savelugu Nanton District of the Northern Region to mark the total eradication of guinea worm infection in the country.
The high point of the durbar was when Madam Azaria, a middle-aged woman who was the last person to be treated of guinea worm infection, extended her hand to the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, to thank the government for its efforts at eradicating the disease, which had plagued a number of communities since 1989.
Guinea worm infection has not been reported in the country for the past 13 months, setting the stage for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare Ghana as being free from the infection.
According to health officials, the country had not recorded any single case of guinea worm infection since May last year because the transmission of the disease had been interrupted in the Northern Region.
Addressing the durbar, Mr Mahama observed that it would be unfortunate for the country to record any new case of guinea worm that would draw it backwards.
He, therefore, cautioned health workers and community volunteers to be on the look out for any suspected case of guinea worm.
“We have come a long way. This is a feat we all take pride in but we should be cautious,” he stated.
He said guinea worm was not only a health issue but also a major contributor to poverty in the three northern regions.
“At the height of guinea worm infection, you could go to a village and find that about half of the people were infected. This meant that farming and economic activities could not go on,” he observed.
“Many children also stayed out of school just because they were infected with guinea worm,” he added.
The Vice-President also commended volunteers for their surveillance and sensitisation which helped the country achieve that feat.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Dr Sylvester Amemana, said the community volunteers provided vital data on cases and that helped the ministry focus its intervention on endemic areas.
The Regent of Dieri, Abdulai Abukari, appealed to the government to ensure adequate and sustainable supply of potable water in the area.
The Vice-President later inspected the Tamale water extension project which will extend water to Savelugu. The project is being implemented by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA).