Daashie (N/R), Feb. 4, GNA - Madam Ajara Adama of Daashie, a guinea worm endemic community in the East Gonja District, has described the disease as deadly and a nuisance to society.
She said the disease was the type that she would not wish even her enemy to contract because of the severity of pain and the deformity it inflicts on its victim.
She was recounting her personal encounter with the disease to the life until she travelled from Takoradi in the Western Region to Daashie last year to visit her parents, where she contracted it.
She recalled that it first started as a blister on her left foot, which later developed into a big swell, saying "the situation made it very difficult for me even to visit the toilet."
According to her, while she was at home seeking local treatment, a guinea worm volunteer in the village spotted her and took her to the Containment Centre for extraction.
She said at the time, 27 spots had developed on parts of her body including her back and buttocks, which gave her much pain and that six of the worms were removed from her stomach.
She said she spent 56 days at the Centre and this disrupted her farming activities last year, which had left her in poverty.
Dr James Sakordia, East Gonja District Director of Health Services told the GNA that Madam Adama was admitted to the Centre at the time a two-year-old boy and his mother were also brought with the worm appearing all over their bodies. More
Dr Sakordia attributed the high incidence of the disease in the area to the non-availability of potable water in most of the communities.
He said the district recorded 1,285 cases last year, while the 16 communities in the Daashie/Jantong area alone registered 615 cases, representing between 45 and 50 percent.
He said the only dam that served the 28 communities including their livestock dried up between April and May every year and this affected schooling as most children left the classroom and travelled about 20 kilometres in search of water from unsafe sources in the bush.
Dr Sakordia said because of the long distances the women travelled in search of water, they returned home tired and were unable to filter their water to get rid of the guinea worm's larvae.
He said he had been told that the underground water table in the area was very low and difficult to reach when drilled and this thwarted the efforts of many NGOs to provide the communities with potable water.
According to him, he saw the proposed visit by former U.S President Jimmy Carter to the area as welcome news, since that would enable the International Community to focus its attention on providing potable water to the communities in the district to help eradicate the disease.
President Carter is due in Tamale on Wednesday from where he will visit some endemic areas in the Northern Region, as part of efforts to intensify awareness towards eradicating the disease.
Mr Ibrahim Yahaya, East Gonja District Guinea worm Coordinator, attributed the high incidence of the disease in the area to the wrong usage of filters, especially by women at the household level. He said most of the women did not follow simple instructions given them at the Centre on water filtering.
Mr Yahaya said the Centre recorded 36 cases in January last year, but had recorded only six within the same period this year, indicating a decline in the pandemic.
He said President Carter's visit would be a moral booster and cooperation building among the people towards the eradication of the disease.
The Chief of Daashie, Jantongwura Ewutogmah Saaka I, appealed to the government and NGOs to come to the aid of the people by providing potable water for the communities. 04 Feb. 04
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