Commentary: Elimination of Guinea Worm Disease in South Sudan through multi-disciplinary actions

Abstract

South Sudan is now in the pre-certification phase, having gone over sixteen months as of April 2018, with zero reports for cases of Guinea worm disease (GWD). The South Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (SSGWEP) mobilizes the efforts of thousands of communities, village volunteers, various government institutions and partners, to establish an extensive surveillance system for detection of GWD cases in post-war South Sudan. Beginning in 2006, with the objective of breaking transmission as soon as possible, this system enabled rapid detection (<24 hours after worm emergence), case containment, and prompt delivery of specific interventions – cloth and pipe filters, vector control, provision of safe water and health education – thereby achieving the ultimate elimination of the disease in ten (10) years from 2006 – 2007. This unquestionable success story in South Sudan, was possible through the multidisciplinary actions of key partners, such as The Carter Center, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other NGOs with the MoH at the helm of the implementation of the key strategies for GWD eradication.

Keywords

• Guinea worm disease
• Carter Center
• eradication
• South Sudan