15th January, 2014
Nigeria has been declared a guinea worm free country by World Health Organisation (WHO), the federal government revealed on Wednesday.
Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu, the Minister of Health presented the certificate showing the new status of Nigeria, as a free-guinea worm nation from WHO Director, Margaret Chan, to President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential villa, during the meeting of the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday.
While presenting the certificate to the President, the minister recalled that as at 1988, Nigeria accounted for over 50 percent of the world guinea worm cases worldwide.
According to him, Nigeria had in that year recorded about 650,000 cases of guinea worm.
But he added that through the joint efforts of all the stakeholders in the health sector and the support of some international bodies, the figure has today been brought down to zero level.
President Jonathan described the achievement as a milestone while receiving the certificate, especially, according to him, as it coincided with Nigeria’s centenary.
“The certification by WHO is a global recognition of how far we have come and the success of the work that has been done to rid our nation of this scourge.
“Eradication of guinea worm disease that has long plagued many parts of our country has placed interminable burden on our citizens and as a government, we have been working very hard and today, we have received the good news,” said Jonathan.
While thanking the nation’s international partners and other stakeholders with particular reference to the World Health Organisation the Carter centre, the UNICEF and Yakubu Gowon centre which contributed to the achievement of the feat, the President promised that his administration would continue to fight against many endemic diseases, such as HIV AIDs, Malaria, Tuberculosis and polio, the same way it fought against the incidence of guinea worm and succeeded.