Race to global eradication of Guinea worm disease nears finish line

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

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Nations like South Sudan and Mali, where Guinea worm disease was once more common, have made commendable progress, although the fight continues in Chad and the Central African Republic.

More on news:

The world is on the brink of a public health triumph as it closes in on eradicating Guinea worm disease.
There were more than 3.5 million cases of this disease in the 1980s, but according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) weekly epidemiological report, they dwindled to 14 cases in 2021, 13 in 2022, and just six in 2023.
The WHO recorded only six cases of Guinea worm disease in 2023. Nations like South Sudan and Mali, where the disease was once more common, have made commendable progress, although the fight continues particularly in Chad and the Central African Republic, where the last vestiges of this disease cling on.
Unlike many of its viral counterparts, this parasitic adversary has offered no chance for immunity, defied prevention by vaccines, and resisted most cures – yet the possibility of its eradication is closer than ever thanks to the triumph of human resilience and ingenuity.
India eliminated Guinea worm disease in the late 1990s, concluding a commendable chapter in the country’s public health history through a rigorous campaign of surveillance, water safety interventions, and community education.

About Guinea worm disease:

Guinea worm disease, a neglected tropical disease (NTD), is caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis.
The disease affects poor communities in remote parts of Africa that do not have safe water to drink.
There is neither a drug treatment for Guinea worm disease nor a vaccine to prevent it.
People become infected with Guinea worms by drinking unfiltered water from ponds and other stagnant water containing copepods (tiny “water fleas” too small to be clearly seen without a magnifying glass).
While a Guinea worm by itself is not lethal, it debilitates those whom it infects and prevents them from performing daily tasks and earning their livelihoods.
It manifests as a painful skin lesion as the adult worm — sometimes up to a meter long — emerges.
The symptoms typically involve intense pain, swelling, and sometimes secondary bacterial infections at the open wound. Sufferers may experience fever, nausea, and vomiting.
More than 90% of Guinea worm infections manifest in the legs and feet.
The disease affects people of both sexes.

Who is at risk for infection?

Anyone who drinks from a pond or other stagnant water source contaminated with Guinea worm larvae is at risk for infection.

India and Guinea worm disease:

India eliminated Guinea worm disease in the late 1990s, concluding a commendable chapter in the country’s public health history through a rigorous campaign of surveillance, water safety interventions, and community education.
The government of India received Guinea worm disease-free certification status from the WHO in 2000.

Ways to Prevent:

Unlike many diseases that have been cornered by medical interventions, Guinea worm disease was and is being pushed to extinction using the fundamentals of public health:
- ensuring access to clean water (by applying a larvicide called Temephos),
- spreading awareness through community workers, and
- meticulously tracking cases and containing outbreaks.