Dracunculiasis eradication: global surveillance summary, 2004

Overview

The Global Programme to Eradicate Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) has made dramatic progress in 2004, achieving a spectacular reduction of 50% in the number of dracunculiasis cases reported in 2004 compared with 2003. For the first year in the history of the eradication programme, none of the endemic countries reported an increase in the total number of cases. There has also been a 30% decline in the overall number of endemic villages. Furthermore, transmission of the disease is now confined to only 11 African countries. Fig. 1 shows the dramatic decline in the number of cases reported during the period 1989–2004. Sudan, which for the past 8 years has reported more than half the total number of dracunculiasis cases worldwide has, for the first time since 1995, reported fewer than 10 000 cases. The country is ranked second after Ghana in the total number of cases reported in 2004.