Vol 39 # 2 June 2007 - Kma.org.kw

June 2007KUWAIT MEDICAL JOURNAL 207Eradication held 5-7 March, 2007 at World HealthO rganization Headquarters in Geneva, bro u g h ttogether re p resentatives from a range oforganizations, including the Austrian government,the Carter Center, the Centers for Diseases Controland Prevention, the International Federation of RedCross and Red Crescent Societies and UNICEF todiscuss and certify 12 more countries.In 1995, WHO created the InternationalCommission for the Certification of DracunculiasisEradication as an independent body consisting ofscientific experts from all over the world. Thegroup meets periodically to assess global progresstowards the eradication of Guinea Worm Disease incountries where it remains endemic and to reviewthe list of countries applying for certification - theWHO stamp of approval that declares them free ofGWD transmission.Debilitating diseaseFor countless generations, people have sufferedfrom Guinea Worm Disease (GWD). The diseasewas found in Egyptian mummies and is thought tobe the “fiery serpent” often referred to in texts frompharaonic Egypt and Assyrian Mesopotamia.GWD is endemic in some villages of sub-Saharan A f r i c a . The worm is spread thro u g hcontaminated water. The effects of the disease arecrippling. Its victims develop large ulcers, usuallyin the lower leg. The ulcers swell, at times to thesize of a tennis ball, and burst - releasing aspaghetti-like parasitic worm ranging in lengthfrom 550-800 millimetres (0.8 meters).Victims experience a pain so excruciating thatthey say it feels as if their leg is on fire. The searingpain compels people to jump into water, often thecommunity’s only source of drinking water, torelieve the pain. When the infected personimmerses their leg in the water, the worm in theirleg releases thousands of larvae.The larvae are theningested by water fleas that live in the water. Thusthe cycle begins again—- when a person drinks thewater, they are in effect drinking in the disease.The socio-economic effects of the disease arenumerous. The disability caused by the disease isseasonal, usually re - e m e rging during harvestseason in the villages, which is why it is often called“the disease of the empty granary.” As a result ofthe pain associated with GWD, farmers are leftincapacitated and unable to harvest their crops,contributing to malnutrition in children since theprimary caregivers, the infected parents, are in suchphysical agony that they cannot properly providefor their young. Children affected by GWD missschool for months at a time, hindering theireducational growth. The disease keeps its victimsimprisoned in a cycle of pain and poverty.Infection PreventionThere are a number of low-cost methods toprevent people from becoming infected:• Providing safe drinking water supplies• Filtering drinking water using fine-mesh cloth• Intensifying case containment (health workercan clean the ulcer, gradually pulling out the worm,disinfecting and bandaging the lesion to preventsecondary bacterial infection)• Preventing infected persons from wading intowater sources to relieve the pain• Intensifying health education and socialmobilization• Treating ponds (water sources) with Abate(which kills the water fleas)Coordinated efforts and renewed optimismEradicating GWD in the countries where it isstill endemic remains the most challenging task.The Commission urged partners to endorse theneed for a more aggressive approach towards theeradication of GWD pushing for a higher profile inWHO. For decades, an army of health workersfrom WHO and various organizations all over theworld dedicated to this cause have been deployedand work round-the-clock to ensure that pre v e n t i o nmethods are carried out and existing cases aremonitored. “This disease can be arrested easily, andwith a more stream-lined approach to transmissioncontrol and the priority that the Director-Generalhas given to neglected tropical diseases, we are onour way to eradicating this disease for good,” saysDr Abdul Rahman Al-Awadi, the Chairman of theInternational Commission.The Commission concluded that eradicationremained an achievable goal.The recent commitmentof the Director-General to address the neglectedt ropical diseases as part of poverty-re d u c t i o nstrategies, giving particular attention to A f r i c a ,provides the window of opportunity desperatelyneeded to achieve this goal.For more information contact: Tiffany Domingo,WHO, Geneva, Tel. +41 22 791 1540, Mobile: +41 79516 3136, Email: domingoc@who.int or consulte theweb site: http://www.who.int/dracunculiasis/en/ .6. GUIDELINES ON CULTIVATINGESSENTIAL PLANT USED IN ANTI-MALARIAMEDICINESIn March 2007, the World Health Organization(WHO) published guidelines for the cultivationand collection of Artemisia annua L, a Chinesetraditional medicinal plant which is the source ofartemisinin, used to produce the most effective