Cure for Guinea Worm Disease found

Accra, Dec. 16, GNA - Hope In Africa (HIA), a Non-Governmental Organisation has discovered a plant medicine for the effective treatment of guinea worm.

The medicine certified by the Mampong Centre for Research into Plant Medicine, has been successfully used in the treatment of 40 out of 43 cases of guinea worm at Datoyili near Tamale in the Northern Region. Nana Adjei Ampofo, a Lawyer and a co-founder of the NGO, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that they were looking for joint venture with local and foreign pharmaceutical companies and foundations such as Bill Gate and Carter Foundations for further research and development of the medicine.

The medicine, made up of extracts from three plants had been tried and tested for 20 years and has no known side effects, he said. He said his two friends together - Major Sam Baah and E.K.A Wiredu have tested the medicine on those afflicted with the guinea worm disease for the past five years and it has proven to be safe and effective. The medicine, in powdered form could be used to prepare soup or pepper sauce and could be eaten alone or with rice, yam, banku and other local foods.

He appealed to the government, NGOs, local pharmaceuticals and foreign investors to cooperate with them to develop a permanent drug either in the form of tablets or capsules to eradicate completely the disease from Africa.

Guinea worm has been controlled largely through the treatment of water sources with "abate" and other chemicals to kill the cyclops or through the boiling or filtering of infested drinking water.