Savelugu (N/R), May 10, GNA - The Parliamentary Select Committee on Government Assurances on Wednesday said education on the guinea worm situation in the Northern Region needed to be accelerated to ensure that negative cultural practices on water and sanitation were improved. They have therefore called on parents and teachers to collectively work hard to ensure that children and other people in guinea worm areas used water filters at all times to reduce the rate of guinea worm infection.

Mrs. Agnes Chigabatia, the Acting Chairperson of the committee, said this during an interaction with community members on the committee's findings on the guinea worm eradication efforts at the community level at Savelugu.

The interaction also created a platform for key service providers in the health sector, community leaders and assembly members to offer suggestions on how to combat the disease. The Institute of Policy Alternative (IPA) organised and supported the weeklong programme.

Mrs. Chigabatia, who led a seven-member committee delegation to the region, said the guinea worm problem had become a national canker and needed the support of all to ensure that it was eliminated. She said the guinea worm disease was affecting the economic development of the country and that more importance had to be attached to efforts to eradicate it.

Dr Sule Gariba, Executive Director of IPA, said it was necessary for policy makers, community and traditional leaders to speak with one positive voice as a means of eradicating the disease from the country. He said IPA would continue to research and bring to the fore problems confronting the nation and would also continue to organise forums to discuss such problems and seek solutions to them.

Alhaji Abubakari Atori, Savelugu/Nanton District Chief Executive who chaired the function, said the district assembly would work effectively with development partners to eradicate the disease. Dr Kofi Issah, the medical officer in charge of the Savelugu Hospital, said guinea worm cases were reducing and that snakebite was another teething problem facing the district.