Ghana Tops In Guinea Worm Cases?

Ghana now has more guinea worm cases than any other country, with about 80 per cent of the global total, says the guinea worm eradication programme (GWEP) of the Ghana Health Service.

Dr Andrew Seidu Korkor, national programme manager of GWEP, quoted statistics to the effect that “only 20 of the country's former 110 districts accounts for most (over 95 per cent) of the problem today.”

Addressing the national mid-year review meeting of the programme in Accra last Monday, Dr Korkor said 10 of the districts are in the Northern Region, with Tolon-Kumbungu leading with 728 cases between January to July 2005. This, he said, makes it the most endemic district in the region and the country.

He, however, announced a 53 per cent reduction in the number of guinea worm cases in the country for the first half of this year.

Dr Korkor said GWEP had intensified activities to address the challenges of eradicating the worm in the high prevalent areas, especially the top 15-20 districts.

Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), minister for health, in an address read for him, stated that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Works and Housing to improve water supply to guinea worm endemic areas, and called for the re-orientation, re-positioning and re-strategising of interventions in the eradicating effort, to ensure that guinea worm is eradicated.