THE news that the country has, for the first time since the Guinea worm eradication programme began in 1989, recorded the lowest number of infections is really refreshing.
Indeed, it gives us the hope and inspiration that it will not be long before we see the total eradication of the debilitating disease from the country.
Figures indicate that last year Ghana recorded 3,432 cases of Guinea worm infestation, as against 8,432 in 1994 and 9,027 in 1999.
If one views this modest achievement against the backdrop that for many years Ghana was ranked number two in Guinea worm infestation in Africa, just behind war-torn Sudan, then one can appreciate the need for back-patting.
It was really embarrassing for Ghana to record so many Guinea worm infestations, knowing that the disease could easily be prevented through simple control mechanisms. Yet it wreaked enormous havoc on victims and the country as a whole.
What was worse, with the number of cases rising by the day and reaching alarming proportions, the disease ceased to be a simple health problem to become a social and economic menace. That was because those infested became burdens on the society, since they could not carry out any meaningful economic activity, having been immobilised by the disease.
Needless to say, the effect of the Guinea worm disease on endemic areas, particularly the north, was very devastating. Farmers could not till the land, mothers could not attend to the needs of their children and families, and schoolchildren could not attend school.
Thankfully, the government, with support from its development partners, took the bull by the horn and decided to pursue measures to bring the disease under control.
The efforts seemed to have yielded some positive results because figures showed that the country recorded its lowest cases of 167 for the first time from October to December last year, as against 1,165 cases for the same period in 2006.
At a media briefing in Accra on Friday, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service and their development partners renewed their determination to sustain the fight against the disease so that in no time the country could be certified as a Guinea worm-free society.
That, in itself, is welcome news, because it assures the people that the government and the Health Ministry are not resting on their laurels and basking in the modest gains made.
The tendency for institutions to become complacent after some gains had been made in their efforts is known to have scuttled many a good move to solve a problem and so we encourage all who are involved in the task to rid Ghana of Guinea worm infestations to put their shoulders to the wheel and work harder until the ultimate has been achieved.
Guinea worm can be controlled if efforts at providing potable water for residents of even the remotest communities are accomplished. This is because, being a water-borne disease, Guinea worm is more prevalent in areas where there is scarcity of potable water.
The Daily Graphic would, therefore, urge the government to do all it can to extend potable water to every remote corner of the country to safeguard the health of the people.
We also believe that the intervention by the government must be multi-sectoral, so that efforts to control the disease will involve other sectors of the economy, not only the Health Ministry.
In that vain, we commend the management of Barclays Bank for presenting a cheque for GH¢68,941 to support the Guinea worm eradication programme.
Let others emulate that laudable gesture, for, collectively, we can achieve a lot.
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