Guinea-Worm Disease (Dracunculiasis)
Ghana’s Guinea Worm Eradication Programme (GWEP) was launched in the Northern region by Former President Jerry John Rawlings in 1987 following WHA resolutions
The first National Case Search was conducted in 1989 it revealed a total of 179,556 cases countrywide with all regions endemic and most cases in the Brong Ahafo, Northern and Volta regions.
With the support of key Partners (USAID, WHO, UNICEF, Global 2000 later The Cater Center (TCC) -Bank for Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) and later JICA) it took 23 years of intervention mainly as follows for interruption of indigenous transmission in May 2010.
Surveillance, Health Education
Use of Monofilament cloth and later Pipe filters
Vector Control (monthly application of temephos)
Case containment and management including worm extraction.
During a 3 year mandatory pre certification phase the focus was on Surveillance and heightened awareness drive and cash reward of GHS 200 offered for any hanging worm seen and verified. The International Certification Team (ICT) mission visited Ghana in July 2014 to evaluate the assertion of disease absence. The 6 teams visited all regions, 48 Districts, 83 Health facilities, 119 communities and interviewed 1320 respondents.
Following the ICT’s mission report to International certification Committee of Dracunculiasis Eradication (ICCDE11) and their recommendation to the Director General of WHO, Ghana was certified free of the disease on 15 January 2015.
As a post certificated country Ghana is required to still focus on disease awareness and continue with rumour detection and investigations as part of the final process of eradication until the last 4 endemic countries (Mali, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan) interrupt indigenous transmission of the disease.
For more information please contact:
Edward Gyepi-Garbrah gyepigarbrahe [at] who.int
recebeu hoje sua primeira carga de vacinas . A entrega foi feita através do programa Covax Facility, iniciativa da  e da  que tem por meta distribuir cerca de 1,3 bilhões de vacinas até o final deste ano para os países mais pobres do planeta. 

"Temos o prazer de dar início a este blog com a notícia de que o Covax acaba de concluir sua primeira entrega internacional: 600.000 doses da vacina Oxford-AstraZeneca produzidas pelo ''Serum Institute of India'' acabam de chegar à Accra, Gana", anunciou a Gavi em seu website. 

, presidente da Comissão Europeia, também comemorou as boas-novas. "Estou muito emocionada ao ver a primeira entrega Covax chegar à Gana. Este é um verdadeiro momento histórico de solidariedade global. Orgulhosa pela contribuição do "Time Europa" para o acesso universal a vacinas covid. Juntos, superaremos a pandemia", escreveu em seu Twitter.