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General News of Wednesday, 4 February 2004

Source: GNA

Carter arrives in Tamale for a day's visit

Tamale, Feb. 4, GNA - Former President Jimmy Carter of the United States and wife Rosalyn arrived in Tamale on Wednesday accompanied by a high powered UNICEF, WHO and Ghana Government delegation of partners in a world-wide coalition against the guinea worm disease.

President Carter is in the Northern Region to contribute his quota towards awareness creation in the fight and eradication of the guinea worm disease in the Region, which has the highest prevalence rate in the country.

The former U.S. President has since left for Jantong/Dashei Traditional Area, a guinea worm endemic community in the East Gonja District, about 24 kilometres from Tamale, where he would interact with the community, as well as people living with the disease and to see how best they could be helped.

Jantong/Dashei has the highest incidence of guinea worm disease in the Northern Region and President Carter's visit would be a welcome relief to the 19 communities in the area.

The Dashei community alone recorded 615 cases of the disease last year out of the total 1,281 reported cases in the East Gonja District.