NIGERIA-HEALTH: WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST GUINEA WORM

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

TOYE OLORI

LAGOS, Jan 21 1995 (IPS) - NIGERIA’S FIGHT AGAINST THE DEBILITATING GUINEA WORM DISEASE IS 90 PERCENT WON, BUT A LOT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ACHIEVE PLANNED TOTAL ERADICATION BY THE END OF THE YEAR.

“THE REMAINING 10 PERCENT REPRESENTS A STAGGERING 35,000 CASES. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO WIN THIS WAR AGAINST GUINEA WORM IS A SERIOUS ENLIGHTENMENT PROGRAMME,” MINISTER OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES, DALHATU TAFIDA, SAID AT A WORKSHOP THIS WEEK.

THE NATIONAL GUINEA WORM ERADICATION PROGRAMME (NIGEP) WAS LAUNCHED IN 1988, ASSISTED BY LOCAL TASK FORCES IN THE COUNTRY’S 30 STATES.

DURING THE FIRST SAMPLE SEARCH, NIGEP RECORDED 653,620 CASES OF THE WATER BORNE PARASITIC DISEASE IN 400,000 VILLAGES. BY THE END OF 1994, THE FIGURE WAS DOWN TO 35,000 OUT OF 65,000 COMMUNITIES CANVASSED.

DRACUNCULIASIS — GUINEA WORM — IS A BRUTAL AND ANCIENT AFFLICTION WHICH INFECTS NEARLY FIVE MILLION PEOPLE EVERY YEAR, PRIMARILY IN 19 AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

IT IS CAUSED BY A MICROSCOPIC PARASITE WHICH ENTERS THE BODY WHEN CONTAMINATED WATER IS DRUNK. THE WORM MIGRATES FROM THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, THROUGH MUSCLE AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE, TO A POINT JUST BELOW THE SKIN. THERE IS CAN GROW, TO UP TO THREE FEET IN LENGTH.

AT MATURITY IT EMERGES, ABOUT A YEAR AFTER INFECTION, IN A PAINFUL PROCESS THAT ALSO RENEWS THE TRANSMISSION CYCLE AS THE EXPOSED WORM SPEWS THOUSANDS OF LARVAE WHICH CONTAMINATE THE ENVIRONMENT.

IT CAN TAKE UP TO TWO MONTHS TO REMOVE THE WORM FROM THE BODY, INCAPACITATING THOSE INFECTED — AFFECTING THE WORK OF FARMERS IN THE FIELDS, OR THE ATTENDANCE OF CHILDREN IN SCHOOL.

IN THE MORE ARID NORTHERN REGIONS OF NIGERIA, THIS SEASONAL DISEASE OCCURS MAINLY DURING THE BRIEF RAINY SEASON (JUNE- AUGUST) AND IN THE SOUTH IT IS MOST PREVALENT DURING THE DRY SPELL (NOVEMBER-MARCH).

BUT THE WORK OF THE TASK FORCES HAS TURNED MUCH OF THE COUNTRY GUINEA WORM-FREE. THE NUMBER OF HIGHLY ENDEMIC STATES HAS REDUCED FROM MORE THAN 18 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAMME TO JUST THREE — ENUGU IN THE EAST, SOKOTO IN THE NORTH AND ONDO IN THE WEST. THEY REPORTED MORE THAN 10,000 CASES EACH IN 1993.

“NIGERIA’S SUCCESS IS DUE TO A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH BY THE GOVERNMENT, GLOBAL 2000, UN CHILDREN’S FUND AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES IN NIGERIA,” SAYS MONSUR ALI, A SENIOR UNICEF OFFICIAL.

THE STRATEGY, ACCORDING TO ALI, INVOLVES TRAINING OF VILLAGE- BASED HEALTH WORKERS, THE PROVISION OF PORTABLE WATER TO THE MOST AFFECTED AREAS, TREATING OF VILLAGE WATER SOURCES TO KILL THE PARASITES AND INCREASED SURVEILLANCE.

UNICEF ALONE HAS SPENT MORE THAN THREE MILLION DOLLARS ON THE PROGRAMME SINCE 1991. IT HAS ALSO ALLOCATED 774,000 DOLLARS THIS YEAR IN THE LAST LAP OF THE BATTLE. MORE THAN 1,500 HAND PUMPS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED BY THE AGENCY IN THE ENDEMIC AREAS.

GLOBAL 2000, SET UP BY FORMER US PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER, HAS ALSO BEEN INVOLVED IN THE GOVERNMENT’S CORNER..

NIGEP CHAIR, PROF. OLADELE KALE, TOLD IPS THAT 99 PERCENT OF THE FUNDS FOR GUINEA WORM ERADICATION HAVE COME FROM INTERNATIONAL DONORS.

THE PERCENTAGE OF ENDEMIC VILLAGES WITH SAFE WATER WILL BE INCREASED FROM 45 TO 55 PERCENT BY THE END OF THE YEAR BY NIGEP WORKING WITH THE MINISTRY OF WATER AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, UNICEF AND OTHER WATER SUPPLY AGENCIES.

IN 1995, NIGEP PLANS TO PLACE EMPHASIS ON INCREASING THE INTENSITY OF SUPERVISION. PREVIOUSLY, PRIORITY WAS GIVEN TO CONTAINMENT PROCEDURES INITIATED BY THE VILLAGE-BASED HEALTH WORKERS.

“AS THE NUMBER OF VILLAGES IS REDUCED AND RESOURCES CAN BE FOCUSED, IT WILL BECOME POSSIBLE TO INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF SUPERVISORY VISITS TO THE VILLAGES TO EVERY TWO WEEKS OR LESS SO AS TO ENABLE SUPERVISORS CONFIRM PERSONALLY THE DIAGNOSIS AND CONTAINMENT OF EACH CASE REPORTED,” KALE SAID.

NIGEP ALSO PLANS TO START PILOT PROGRAMMES ON GUINEA WORM EXTRACTION — A DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING PROCEDURE — AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTING AN INTENSIVE NATIONWIDE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN USING BOTH THE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.

NIGERIA-HEALTH: WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST GUINEA WORM

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

TOYE OLORI

LAGOS, Jan 21 1995 (IPS) - NIGERIA’S FIGHT AGAINST THE DEBILITATING GUINEA WORM DISEASE IS 90 PERCENT WON, BUT A LOT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ACHIEVE PLANNED TOTAL ERADICATION BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
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NIGERIA-HEALTH: WINNING THE BATTLE AGAINST GUINEA WORM

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

TOYE OLORI

LAGOS, Jan 21 1995 (IPS) - NIGERIA’S FIGHT AGAINST THE DEBILITATING GUINEA WORM DISEASE IS 90 PERCENT WON, BUT A LOT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ACHIEVE PLANNED TOTAL ERADICATION BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
(more…)