Advances are being made to interrupt transmission of dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) in the remaining four endemic countries.
Surveillance systems in Chad, Ethiopia, Mali and South Sudan are working well but more needs to be done to promote awareness of the disease among affected and at-risk populations. A cash reward increases the sensitivity of surveillance and is offered for voluntary reporting of a confirmed case of the disease.
“We notice that the number of reported rumoured cases in the four countries has increased over the past few years,” said Farah Junerlyn Agua, Dracunculiasis Eradication Team Member. “ Although this indicates a good level of public awareness and engagement of local communities in reporting information of any alleged case further improvements are needed in some areas.”
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Number of rumoured dracunculiasis cases reported to WHO, January–August 2015 |
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| Country | Total number of rumours reported | Proportion of rumours investigated within 24 hours |
| Chad | 992 | 99% |
| Ethiopia | 5170 | 99% |
| Mali | 379 | 99% |
| South Sudan* | 2970 | 100% |
*January–July 2015
From January to August 2015, 15 cases were reported compared with the 75 cases reported during the same period in 2014. This decrease of 80% indicates that global eradication is fast approaching.
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Number of confirmed dracunculiasis cases reported to WHO, January–August 2015 |
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| Chad | 8 | |
| Ethiopia | 2 | |
| Mali | 1 | |
| South Sudan* | 4 | |
| Total | 15 | |