Eradication of dracunculiasis

Eradication of dracunculiasis is an ongoing program. Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease, is an infection by the Guinea worm. In 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm in 20 endemic nations in Asia and Africa. Ghana alone reported 180 000 cases in 1989. The number of cases has since been reduced by more than 99.999 % to 13 in 2023 in five remaining endemic states: South Sudan, Chad, Mali, Ethiopia and Angola.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the international body that certifies whether a disease has been eliminated from a country or eradicated from the world. The Carter Center, a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, also reports the status of the Guinea worm eradication program by country.

As of 2024, the WHO goal for eradication in humans and animals is 2030 (previously targets have been set at 1991, 2009, 2015, and 2020).

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