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Slaying 'Little Dragons': Guinea Worm Moves Toward Eradication






The Guinea worm can grow up to 3 feet inside a person's body.

Originally published on Thu October 24, 2013 5:51 pm

The world has eradicated just one human disease: smallpox. But another illness is getting tantalizingly close to elimination.

No, we're not talking about polio; that virus also has its back against a wall. But a report Thursday puts a parasitic worm ahead of polio in the race to extinction.

The world recorded just 89 cases of Guinea worm in the first six months of 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That's a 77 percent reduction in cases over the same period last year.

In contrast, more than 300 polio cases have occurred so far in 2013, compared with just 223 reported in all of 2012.

Guinea worm gets little attention in the media, perhaps because of its stomach-churning life cycle. The parasite grows up to 3 feet inside a person's tissues and then emerges from a painful wound in the skin. The worm isn't deadly, but it cripples a person for several weeks while the worm emerges.

The disease is also known as dracunculiasis, or "affliction with little dragons," because the worm feels like hot coals as it exits from the skin.

Back in 1986, more than 3.5 million people got infected with Guinea worm each year. A campaign led by The Carter Center has slashed the number of cases in the past decade. There were only about 1,000 cases recorded worldwide in 2011, and 542 cases in 2012.

If 2013 follows the trend, then the prevalence of the disease will reach an all-time low.

The worm is now endemic in just four countries: Chad, Ethiopia, Mali and South Sudan. The vast majority of cases occur in South Sudan, and that country has made the most progress in eradicating the Guinea worm in the past several years.

South Sudan has reported an 80 percent reduction in cases so far in 2013 compared with 2012, despite a slew of challenges for health workers. A key bridge collapsed on the only road to a part of the country, slowing transportation of vital supplies. Cattle raiding caused populations to move around unpredictably, the CDC's Dr. Sharon Roy and her colleagues wrote in the report.

The biggest challenges, however, to eradicating the parasite are probably in Mali. The country has reported just one case of Guinea worm in 2013. But violence after a coup d'etat has kept health workers out of some parts of Mail since April 2012, Roy and her colleagues write.

People get infected with dracunculiasis through contaminated drinking water. So teaching people to filter water and installing wells have been two key methods to reduce new infections.

If local health workers can't reach people because of violence, then just one infection could quickly spread through drinking water and multiply into 50 to 100 cases

Uccisione 'Little Dragons ' : Guinea Worm si muove verso l'eradicazione della





Il verme di Guinea può crescere fino a 3 metri all'interno del corpo di una persona.

Originariamente pubblicato il gio ott 24, 2013 17:51

Il mondo ha sradicato una sola malattia umana : il vaiolo . Ma un'altra malattia è sempre allettante vicino alla eliminazione .

No , non stiamo parlando di poliomielite , che il virus ha anche la sua schiena contro una parete . Ma un rapporto di Giovedi mette un verme parassita avanti di poliomielite nella corsa verso l'estinzione .

Il mondo ha registrato solo 89 casi di verme di Guinea nei primi sei mesi del 2013, il Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ha detto nella rivista morbilità e mortalità Weekly Report . Questa è una riduzione del 77 per cento nei casi rispetto allo stesso periodo dello scorso anno .

Al contrario , più di 300 casi di polio sono verificati finora nel 2013 , rispetto ad appena 223 segnalati in tutto il 2012 .

Verme di Guinea ottiene poca attenzione dai media , forse a causa del suo ciclo di vita stomaco attanagliato . Il parassita si sviluppa fino a 3 piedi all'interno dei tessuti di una persona e poi emerge da una dolorosa ferita nella pelle. Il worm non è mortale , ma paralizza una persona per diverse settimane mentre il worm emerge.

La malattia è conosciuta anche come Dracunculiasi , o " afflizione con piccoli draghi ", perché il verme si sente come carboni ardenti appena esce dalla pelle .

Già nel 1986, più di 3,5 milioni di persone si sono infettati con il verme di Guinea ogni anno . Una campagna condotta da The Carter Center ha ridotto il numero di casi negli ultimi dieci anni . C'erano solo circa 1.000 casi registrati in tutto il mondo nel 2011 , e 542 casi nel 2012.

Se 2013 segue la tendenza , allora la prevalenza della malattia raggiungerà un minimo storico .

Il worm è endemica in soli quattro paesi : Ciad , Etiopia, Mali e Sudan meridionale . La stragrande maggioranza dei casi si verifica nel Sud Sudan , e questo paese ha compiuto i maggiori progressi nello sradicamento del verme della Guinea negli ultimi anni.

Sud Sudan ha riferito di una riduzione di 80 per cento nei casi finora nel 2013 rispetto al 2012, nonostante una sfilza di sfide per gli operatori sanitari . Un ponte crollato sulla chiave l'unica strada per una parte del paese , rallentando il trasporto di rifornimenti vitali . Bestiame raid ha causato le popolazioni a spostarsi imprevedibilmente , il dottor Roy Sharon del CDC ed i suoi colleghi hanno scritto nel rapporto.

Le sfide più grandi , invece, per sradicare il parassita sono probabilmente in Mali . Il paese ha registrato un solo caso del verme della Guinea nel 2013 . Ma la violenza dopo un colpo di stato ha mantenuto gli operatori sanitari di alcune parti di posta da Aprile 2012 , Roy ei suoi colleghi scrivono.

Le persone vengono infettati con Dracunculiasi attraverso l'acqua potabile contaminata . Quindi, insegnare alle persone a filtrare l'acqua e l'installazione di pozzi sono stati due metodi fondamentali per ridurre le nuove infezioni .

Se gli operatori sanitari locali non possono raggiungere le persone a causa della violenza , allora solo una infezione potrebbe diffondersi rapidamente attraverso l'acqua potabile e moltiplicarsi in 50 a 100 casi

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NEWS WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2013

Suspended NCP members vow to remain in the party for now

October 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A section in the governing National Congress Party (NCP) in Sudan that appears to be leading a rebellion within the party has ruled out defecting in wake of a decision this week to suspend their membership.

Last month, more than 30 NCP figures released a highly publicized memo addressed to Sudanese president and NCP chairman Omer Hassan al-Bashir following protests that broke put in late September after the government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies which nearly doubled prices of gasoline and diesel.

The signatories included prominent NCP figure and ex-adviser to Bashir Ghazi Salah al-Deen al-Attabani, several lawmakers and retired army officers.

The petition called for reinstating the subsidies due to its "harsh" impact on ordinary Sudanese and chided the government for excessive violence used against protestors. Sudanese authorities announced that close to 70 people were killed during the demonstrations while activists and rights groups say that hundreds have perished.

"The legitimacy of your rule has never been at stake like it is today" they said in their letter to Bashir which was seen as a direct challenge to the president who is now the country’s longest serving leader.

Initially the NCP denied the existence of such a letter but later admitted it and revealed that Bashir formed a committee to probe the memo’s signatories and come up with recommendations.

Al-Attabani along with several others refused to appear before the committee and challenged its legitimacy and standing to quiz them.

The head of the NCP organizational sector Hamed Sideeg confirmed reports that the committee handed suspension decision as was reported this week but said only 9 people out of the 30+ signatories were sanctioned.

Sideeg said that this move was not meant as a punishment but a form of action that falls within the committee’s powers. He disclosed that they also submitted a report to Bashir but did not disclose its contents.

The NCP official urged the memo signatories to refrain from discussing the issue in the media and limit it to the party’s confines.

Al-Attabani who is one of the 9 members suspended held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at his home in which he reiterated that he does not recognize the panel’s decision and pledged to continue his activities as normal.

He ruled out leaving the NCP to form a new party for the time being saying that continuing to push for reforms from within is more effective given the fact that the NCP is in control of the government.

"Anything according to the law is possible but we will not rule on that now and what we said is that we will remain in the NCP," al-Attabani said adding that he is optimistic about the prospects for positive developments under the current momentum.

"We chose to be in the NCP because the party in power and through influencing it can impact the political arena because if it succeeds it can improve the political life," he said.

(ST)

OH BELOVED SUDAN!!

THOSE ALL NICE DAYS WILL IT RETURNS ???!!!



Former NCP figure scoffs at party decision to freeze his membership


October 21, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The former presidential adviser and ex-head of the parliamentary caucus for the governing National Congress Party (NCP) Ghazi Salah al-Deen al-Attabani blasted a decision by a party panel to suspend him describing it as "illegitimate".

Al-Attabani saw his membership in the NCP frozen along with 30 other figures who submitted a highly publicized memo to president Omer Hassan al-Bashir last month following protests that broke put in late September in the wake of the government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies which nearly doubled prices of gasoline and diesel.

The petition called for reinstating the subsidies due to its "harsh" impact on ordinary Sudanese and chided the government for excessive violence used against protestors.

Khartoum announced that close to 70 people were killed during the demonstrations while activists and rights groups say that hundreds have perished.

"The legitimacy of your rule has never been at stake like it is today" they said in their letter to Bashir which was seen as a direct challenge to the president who is now the country’s longest serving leader.

Initially the NCP denied the existence of such a letter but later admitted it and revealed that Bashir, who is also the party’s chairman, formed a committee to probe the memo’s signatories and come up with recommendations.

Al-Attabani along with several others refused to appear before the committee and vowed to resist any adverse decision.

Today the former presidential adviser responded to the NCP decision by accusing the investigation panel of lacking impartiality and standing to hold him and others accountable.

In his Facebook page al-Attabani said the formation of the commission was not a decision taken by the NCP leadership council or any other internal body but through personal deliberations between a "limited" number of top NCP officials.

He went on to say that he is bewildered by the NCP dedication of time and effort to quiz them while ignoring the country’s pressing problems.

This al-Attabani said, leads him to believe that some NCP leaders have little tolerance for dissenting views at a time when the recent protests should have prompted the ruling party to do some soul searching that would have strengthened the NCP and made it more qualified to lead the country.

"If it is proven that NCP leaders of are incapable of unifying their internal ranks and reconciling with their bases then they will not be able to present themselves as a compelling and competent leadership to address the problems of the country and unify it," he said.

He did not address reports that he resigned but pledged to avoid sideshows and instead focus on "positive activities" and table more political initiatives.

In separate statements to the pro-government Ashorooq TV, al-Attabani said the decision to freeze his membership and others gave them a higher footing and will make their voices heard louder.

"We do not qualify for political action through the recognition by a commission and our voice will be higher no doubt, and political programs will be clearer and more direct" he said.

Al-Attabani is widely known to be a leading figure in the reformist faction within the NCP and people close to him say that he is privately fiercely critical of the ruling party and its policies.

He has fought silent battles to initiate structural changes in the NCP and the underlying Islamist Movement (IM) but the party’s old guard has effectively shot down all his initiatives.

Last July he publicly released his vision of reform he is seeking in the government and state.

Al-Attabani was removed from his post as NCP majority leader in the national assembly which many said was in response to his assertions that Bashir is constitutionally barred from running again for presidency.

But many reformists in the NCP and IM are critical of Attabani saying that he is unwilling to take a firm and unequivocal stance against the government in his push for change and is only talking of change in very general terms.

(ST)