Fulfuso (N/R), July 8, GNA - The Central Gonja District recorded 142 cases of guinea worm from January to June this year, accounting for 62 per cent of the 288 cases of the disease recorded nationwide. Fulfuso with a population of 5,500 people is the epicenter of guinea worm cases in Ghana, Mr. Kabuka Mwatama Banda, Water and Sanitation Specialist of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICF) said.

He made the disclosure during a visit by a United Nations Country Team (UNCT) led by Douada Toure, UNDP Country Coordinator to inspect a water supply system and a guinea worm containment centre at Fulfuso in the Central Gonja District on Monday.

The UNCT which is in the Northern Region on a two-day inspection tour of its funded projects has among others visited selected School Feeding Programme sites including the Sobrieya Islamic School, the Dungu supplementary feeding programme and the Sagnerigu shea butter project. The team also held discussions with Dr. Charles Jebuni, Head of the Technical Team of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the Regional Ministers of the Northern, Upper East and West Regions on the Theme: "Coming together to support the Northern Regions". Mr. Banda explained that the case load of guinea worm in the area was due to the use of water sources rendered unsafe as a result of uncontained guinea worm cases in 2008.

He attributed the rise in the cases to the lack of potable water in the area, and said several attempts at drilling water had proved unsuccessful due to the difficult hydro geological conditions in the area. He said while efforts were being made to provide a more sustainable solution to the long term potable water needs of the community, in the interim ceramic filters had been distributed to some 3,250 households for the treatment of water.

Mr. Banda mentioned that from January to June this year the Northern Region as a whole recorded 233 guinea worm cases, with three reported cases from the Brong-Ahafo Region. He said 47 cases were recorded last year while 15 indigenous cases have been reported this year with three of them coming from Savelugu in the Savelugu/Nanton District.

Mr. Toure stressed the need for Ghana to work extra-hard to ensure that it did not lack behind in the eradication of guinea worm in the West African sub-region. 8 July 09