Drug Industry Shakeout, Thicker Lashes and the End of a Plague Dec 10, 2008
Better hygiene practices and the use of larvicides and water filters have virtually eradicated Guinea worm disease, also called dracunculiasis, in parts of Africa, The Los Angeles Times reports. Federal officials say fewer than 5,000 cases remain in parts of the continent where the disease has been endemic. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
What is Guinea Worm Disease? Dec 9, 2008
The former president has helped lead the global effort to fight Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, through his work with the Carter Center, a foundation he and his wife, Rosalind, established for fighting disease and promoting human rights. Speaking at a , Carter lauded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for pledging $40 million to carry out the final stages of the eradication campaign. (Scientific American)
Eradication of Guinea worm disease is near Dec 6, 2008
Fewer than 5,000 cases of Guinea worm disease, also known as dracunculiasis, remain in Mali, Niger, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan and Ethiopia, the Atlanta-based center said. There were about 3. (Los Angeles Times)
Thirsty world: Desperate quest for water Oct 21, 2008
The most widespread types are dracunculiasis, or guinea worm disease, in which a worm up to a meter long eventually and painfully emerges from the victim's skin; and schistosomiasis, a blood infection from a parasitic flatworm that causes chronic debilitation as well as liver and intestinal damage. Schistosomiasis, which currently infects 200 million people in seventy countries, is so prevalent in certain African and East Asian communities that the process of overcoming disease is considered an... (CNN)
African ministers move to check environmental health hazards Sep 1, 2008
These result in malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid, dracunculiasis, helminthiasis, schizosomiasis, asthma, bronchitis and heart diseases that are taking their toll on millions of people living in the region. " WHO's Director for Department of Public Health and Environment, Dr. Maria Neira, said: "The Libreville Declaration is a milestone for Africa. (Guardian News, Nigeria)
Worm disease set for eradication Mar 29, 2007
The World Health Organisation said Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, now only affects around 25,000 people in nine countries. In the early 1980s an estimated 3 million people were infected in over 20 countries. (BBC News -- Africa)
WHO program cuts blight of guinea worm Mar 28, 2007
Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Djibouti, Tanzania, Zambia, Gabon, Swaziland, Mozambique, Cameroon, Algeria and the Central African Republic have stamped out the disease, also known as dracunculiasis, which spreads in contaminated water ... The Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication, a WHO-created body of scientific experts, has declared 180 countries as guinea worm-free since 1995 and aims to wipe out the disease by 2009. (Globe and Mail)
Guinea worm nears eradication Mar 28, 2007
Accra, March 27, GNA - Efforts to eradicate guinea worm, a neglected tropical disease that has afflicted people since ancient times, has moved a step closer towards realisation with 12 more countries being declared guinea worm free in early March by the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) Eradication ... The statement said in the early 1980s, an estimated three million people in more than 20 countries were affected by Dracunculiasis, more... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Final struggle against the guinea worm Mar 17, 2007
A 20-year fight to eradicate guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is in the last and most difficult stages. It could be the first parasitic disease wiped out worldwide and only the second disease ever to be eliminated; the first was smallpox in 1979. (MSNBC -- Health)
