Dracunculiasis or Guinea worm disease (GWD) is an infection of a large nematode family caused by the parasite Dracunculus medinensis. It is an extremely rare neglected tropical disease primarily affecting remote and impoverished communities. It is acquired by drinking water containing copepods (water fleas) infected with D. medinensis larvae. The worm typically emerges through the skin approximately 1-year after infection, resulting in pain, formation of blisters, and disability. Currently, there are 23 reportable priority diseases or conditions in Ethiopia included in the routine surveillance. These 23 priority diseases are further classified into ‘immediately’ or ‘weekly’ reportable diseases. Dracunculiasis is among the 15 immediately reportable diseases in the national Public health surveillance systems.

In Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Dracunculiasis Eradication Program (EDEP) which was established in 1993 has made a remarkable move towards interrupting of disease transmission and now the endgame is fast approaching. The EDEP with support mainly from The Carter Center, WHO, and UNICEF has reduced GWD by more than 99% from 1994 to 2020. In 2020, Ethiopia provisionally reported 11 humans and 15 animals (8 cats, 4 baboons, 3 dogs) with Guinea worm infections, after finding a total of 18 human cases and 56 infected animals in 2016-2019. In 2020 Ethiopia’s Dracunculiasis Eradication Program (EDEP) contained all except baboon infections. The human cases in 2020 occurred in two common-source water-borne outbreaks in which people without convenient safe drinking water drank unfiltered water from non-Abated ponds shared by baboons living in nearby forests. The 8 cats reported from Pugnido Refugee Camp in July-August 2020 also were likely exposed to a common source of infection in nearby Abawiri village, where there was an infected dog in 2018, an infected baboon in 2017, and an uncontained human case in 2016.

Guinea Worm Disease (GWD) is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) targeted for eradication and it is characterized by a painful skin blister that may ultimately break forming an ulcer. Though rarely fatal, it may cause permanent disability and may result in loss of family income and school absenteeism. Neither anti-helminthic medication nor a vaccine is available to treat or prevent Guinea Worm Disease. Hence prevention is the only effective strategy to interrupt the transmission of the disease. The disease mainly affects people in rural areas, deprived and isolated communities who depend on open surface water sources such as ponds for drinking. Guinea Worm Disease is transmitted when people in endemic areas drink water containing copepods harboring infective larvae. Eradication strategies encompassing community education for behavioral change including raising awareness towards cash rewards for reporting Guinea Worm Disease (GWD) and animal infection, case containment, surveillance systems, provision of safe water supply, and ABATE chemical application are discussed.

• Dracunculiasis
• Guinea Worm Disease
• Neglected Tropical Disease
• Surveillance
• Dracunculiasis Eradication Program
• Water
• Skin
• Immediately
• Weekly
• Carter Center
• WHO
• UNICEF

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The Guinea worm disease (GWD) surveillance data, broadly, included a dataset on Guinea worm disease (GWD) rumors line listing and Ethiopian Dracunculiasis Eradication Program-GWD Rumor/Suspect Line List dataset. GWD rumors Line listing: Region, Woreda, Refugee Camp, Zone, Village (Block), Age, Sex, Name of the reporter, Date rumor reported, data rumor investigated, sign and symptoms (Itching, Swelling, Blister, Wound), final diagnosis/Outcome.

Ethiopian Dracunculiasis Eradication Program-GWD Rumor/Suspect Line List dataset includes the following information’s Month, Region, Zone, Woreda, Kebele, Village, Age, Sex, Name of person reporting rumor/suspect (if self-reporter, write 'SELF'), Name of health worker detecting rumor/suspect, Title of HW detecting rumor/suspect (HW, Tech, HEW, GWO), Was patient detected in a campaign (HF/NID/NTD)? (Y/N), Date reported to GWO (dd/mm), Date investigated by GWO (dd/mm), Is this person a suspect?, Itching, Swelling, Blister, Wound, was the worm a water plan made with the HHS?,  (Y/N), Was the suspect admitted to the CCC? (Y/N), Date the suspect admitted to the CCC? (dd/mm), Did the patient become a case?, Date patient no longer a suspect or date became a case, Investigation Needed/Pending/, Missing Data (Inv/P/M), Note (for investigation needed, No. Days between supervisor notification and supervisor investigation, Investigated within 24 hours and Notes Reason for not investigated within 24 hr.

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