A new COVID-19 test is easier to handle, a nasty illness may soon go the way of smallpox and South African lions will soon be free. DW shows that not everything is doom and gloom.
South Africa will end its captive lion industry, and outlaw the sale of their bones and 'canned hunting'Image: Pippa Henkinson/Blood Lions /AP/picture alliance
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Kenya's Martha Koome to become first female chief justice
Martha Koome becomes the first woman to head any Kenyan branch of governmentImage: JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION/REUTERS
Martha Koome is set to become Kenya's first female chief justice after being selected by a judicial panel. She will be the first female head of any branch of Kenyan government.
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A child of subsistence farmers, she has 33 years of legal experience. Koome represented political detainees, including former prime minister Raila Odinga when he protested against former President Daniel Arap Moi in the 1980s and 1990s.
She co-founded and chaired the Federation of Women Lawyers, which has campaigned for women's rights and offers free legal services for poor women.
Lakes in Ethiopia and beyond may soon be completely free from Guinea wormImage: Ana F./Zoonar/picture alliance
Cases of Guinea worm fell by 50% last year
Just 27 human cases of the debilitating worm were reported in 2020, primarily in Ethiopia and Chad. That is a dramatic drop from 3.5 million cases 35 years ago, according to the Carter Center. The organization set up by former US President Jimmy Carter leads international eradication campaigns.
The former president said he hopes he livesto see the disease eradicated. The only other disease that has been fully eradicated was smallpox.
Guinea worm: inching towards eradication
In 1986, there were an estimated 3.6 million cases of Guinea worm disease per year in 21 countries in Africa and Asia. Today, the parasitic disease is close to becoming only the second human disease to be eradicated.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press/W. Pope
Close to ending a parasitic disease
In 1986, there were an estimated 3.6 million cases of Guinea worm disease per year in 21 countries in Africa and Asia. Today, the parasitic disease is close to eradication. In 2017, there were only 30 cases in Chad and Ethiopia. In the first three months of 2018, there were only 3 human cases in one country, Chad.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Bazemore
Carter Center
Former US President Jimmy Carter's foundation in 1986 led an international campaign against Guinea worm. Nearly 80 million cases have been averted due to the campaign. Guinea worm would be the first human parasitic disease to be eradicated and only the second disease after smallpox to be eliminated. It would also be the first disease to be eradicated without the use of a vaccine or medicine.
Image: Carter Center/Louise Gubb
Contaminated water
The life cycle of the parasite begins when humans drink unfiltered water from ponds or stagnant water sources containing microscopic copepods (water fleas) infected with larvae. Once ingested, the copepods die and release the larvae into the digestive tract, where they mature and mate. Males die but females grow to about 60-100 centimeters (2-3 feet) long and as wide as a spaghetti noodle.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press/W. Pope
Worm emerges
The female worm usually exits from the leg or foot after about one year inside the body. The blister is painful. Attempts to clean or sooth the pain of the blister in ponds or other water sources lead to the release of millions of immature larvae into the water. Copepods then consume first-stage larvae. The larvae develop in the copepods until they are again consumed by humans.
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images/W. Dolder
Debilitating disease
There is no drug or treatment for Guinea worm. The worm is usually removed a couple centimeters per day over the course of weeks using gauze or a stick. The process is debilitating and can lead to secondary bacterial infections. The disease prevents people from taking care of themselves, working, attending school or farming for extended periods.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press/W. Pope
Community programs
Guinea worm has largely been stopped through community programs to educate and change behavior. Simple education such as teaching people to drink filtered water and preventing infected people from entering water have limited the spread of the disease.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/J. Bazemore
Only 30 cases in 2017
Guinea worm disease remains endemic in South Sudan, Mali, Chad and Ethiopia. In 2017, there were only 30 isolated cases in 20 villages in two countries, Chad and Ethiopia.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/M. Quesada
Dogs
Infected dogs were first discovered in Chad in 2012, raising concern about animal transmission even though they are not the natural host of Guinea worm. Dogs in fishing villages in Chad are believed to have acquired the disease by eating raw fish and guts carrying Guinea worm larvae. Interventions and education with locals have brought down infection rates since the problem developed.
A community-based approach has been praised in its efforts for making the illness less pervasive. Where cases still popped up, community members came together to treat local ponds and provide safe drinking water.
"The end is in sight," said Carter Center's Guinea worm eradication program director Adam Weiss. "But we also have to be mindful that more research, more investment in the communities, is required to overcome some of the last-mile challenges."
Don't make that face! A new COVID test will be as easy as sucking on a (flavorless) lolipopImage: Aryan Dhimal/Zuma/picture alliance
Austria develops 'lollipop' COVID tests for children
Austria has come up with a COVID-19 test for children which is far less invasive and frightening than the long nose swab.
A test that looks like a small lollipop has been distributed to some kindergartens in the country. Kids will suck on the end for 90 seconds before the test is placed in a container. It takes 15 minutes to see the results from there.
Alas, the test does not come in any flavor. But it is far more comfortable for kids, especially as kindergartens prepare to re-open in the country.
Lions will soon roam free in South AfricaImage: Wibke Woyke/Zoonar/picture alliance
South Africa to end captive lion breeding, bone trade
Conservationists said that lions were kept in unhealthy and unethical conditions due to the industry. The new policy prohibits keeping and breeding lions in captivity, and using any parts of captive lions for commercial reasons.
South Africa has anywhere between 8,000 and 12,000 lions in captivity according to various government and wildlife organizations. Some are kept on places with "canned hunting" where lions are kept in captivity but in small enclosures to make it easier for hunters to kill them. The new provision will end that activity as well.
"If your mandate was that you want to shoot a lion in an easy way, with not so much effort, then South Africa was your number one destination," said Neil Greenwood of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
