South Sudan reports six Guinea Worm cases after near eradication

JUBA – South Sudan has reported six new cases of Guinea Worm in humans and another three in animals, a setback after the country successfully interrupted transmission of the debilitating disease and came close to eradicating it in 2021.

According to Kidiende Chong, South Sudan’s Director General for Preventive Health Services and Emergency Response, the new infections mainly occurred in central regions – Lakes and Warrap states – which have predominantly been the epicenter of the epidemic since 2006.

“As we speak now, we are having six human cases, it is a reoccurrence that happened after we have had a period where we actually brought this disease to a control in this country,” Chong told Sudans Post in an exclusive interview on Saturday.

“We have one from Rumbek North and we have one from Yirol West. These are the counties that have been reporting those six confirmed human cases. The three animal infections are reported among the domesticated animals, which were from Tonj East, and Uror,” he said.

Dracunculiasis, also called Guinea-worm disease, is a parasitic disease transmitted through contaminated drinking water, causing a painful blister from which a worm slowly emerges.

Although it rarely causes death, infected individuals are usually left unable to work for weeks or months. The disease is common among rural areas where populations rely on stagnant water sources.

Chong said the country came close to being certified ‘Guinea Worm free’ in 2021 after recording zero cases for 15 months, an achievement of a 99.9% reduction from the country contributing 80% of 20,000 cases in 2006.

“In 2021 only, we were able to make sure that despite the re-emergence of the disease, we had four cases that were reported. And it was like 99.9% reduction in the cases,” he said.

“We were already on our way to be certified that we eradicated the Guinea worm,” he added.

With support from the Carter Center, an organization owned by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dedicated to fighting Guinea Worm, South Sudan has been engaging communities using “Guinea Worm Warriors,” a network of volunteers that carry out surveillance.

Chong said there are also about fourteen un-imaged cases reported among wild animals in parts of Eastern Equatoria State, Lakes State, and Warrap State.

“The unimaged guinea from wild animals were reported also from Toinj East, seven of them and Rumbek Centre.

“In Rumbek North, where we have one human case, we have two unimaged guinea worms in wild animals. And in Laphone, we have three unimaged guinea in wild animals in Laphon, in Eastern Equatoria,” he said.

Following the new cases, Chong said the Ministry of Health has intensified surveillance to bring the epidemic under control.