(AGENPARL) – mar 02 agosto 2022 (RSA))
��2 &#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;The
Fourth
Hideyo N
guchi Africa Prize for M
dical
Research goes to
Dr. Salim S.
Abdool Karim and Dr
Quarraisha Abdool Karim
for their global contributions to
HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment through scientifically rigorous research, for their
role in training African scientists and for their steadfast scientific leadership in the
response to Covid
19 in Africa.
Drs. Salim S.
Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim of CAPRISA, Columbia
University, New York and the University of KwaZulu
Natal, Republic of South Africa,
deserve
to be
awarded the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize for medical research
category for their ground
reaking research and scientific leadership in Africa over more
than 3 decades. During this period, the Abdool Karims have worked side
side as
spouse
scientists tackling devastating diseases while overcoming scientific and political
obstacles. In their m
any achievements they embody the spirit of Hideyo Noguchi. At
considerable professional risk, they confronted AIDS denial, provided life
sparing
antiviral treatments in defiance of government policy and developed HIV prevention
approaches that empower wome
n to protect themselves. They established collaborative
HIV research centers, working with international partners on vaccines,
immunopathogenesis research, microbicides and antiviral treatments.
They have continued their scientifically rigorous work in t
he SARS
2 pandemic,
undertaking rapid surveillance, promoting evidence
based prevention and combatting
misinformation on Covid
19 vaccines. In tracking the epidemiology of SARS
2, the
Abdool Karims deciphered the periodicity in Covid
19 surges, pro
viding accurate
estimations of likely future surges of the coronavirus and assisting Africa to be better
prepared for pandemic pressure on its healthcare systems, economies, and social systems.
The Abdool Karims played a key role in the national response a
gainst Covid
19 in the
Republic of South Africa, with Salim serving as Chair and Quarraisha as a member of the
government
s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Covid
Summary of Achievements
Drs. Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim began their journey as
South African
infectious diseases epidemiologists when they undertook one of the first community
based studies of HIV in Africa in 1990, demonstrating the disproportionate burden of
HIV in young women. This work in rural Africa laid the bedrock for the dec
ades of
research that would follow to develop interventions for this vulnerable population.
��3 &#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ; &#x/MCI;&#xD 1 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 1 ;In 2002, the Abdool Karims jointly founded CAPRISA, a non
profit research institute
specializing in AIDS, with its headquarters at the Nelson Mandela Medical Schoo
l in
Durban, South Africa. From humble beginnings, CAPRISA has become one of Africa’s
most eminent research institutes, playing an important role in providing scientific advice
that impacts government policies across the world. They have made the following
three
particularly significant contributions:
1. Improving HIV prevention in Africa
Epidemiological and phylogenetic studies conducted by the Abdool Karims revealed the
Cycle of HIV Transmission
” in Africa where young African women have the highest
s of HIV infection due to relationships with men about 10 years older than them.
These findings laid the foundations for the UNAIDS report,
“Life Cycle approach to
HIV”
, and have been adopted by several African countries to guide their national HIV
prevent
ion programs. Their most important contribution was their 2010 finding, through
rigorous clinical trials at CAPRISA, of the effectiveness of a vaginal gel containing an
antiviral agent in lowering the risk of HIV infection among young African women. This
inding was heralded by UNAIDS and WHO as being amongst the most significant
scientific breakthroughs in the fight against AIDS and ranked among “The Top 10
Scientific Breakthroughs of 2010” by the journal, Science.
2. Saving lives through improving trea
tment of HIV and tuberculosis co
infection
Tuberculosis is the most common opportunistic disease in AIDS patients in Africa and a
leading cause of death on the continent. The Abdool Karims led clinical trials at
CAPRISA that showed that the early deploymen
t of antiretroviral therapy dramatically
reduced deaths in patients with both HIV and tuberculosis. These findings were adopted
in the WHO treatment guidelines and implemented in most countries.
Providing scientific leadership in the Covid
19 response
The Abdool Karims have tirelessly championed the importance of science in defining the
Covid
19 response in Africa. Dr
Salim Abdool Karim served as the inaugural Chair and
Quarraisha Abdool Karim as a member of the South African government’s Minister
Advisory Committee for Covid
19. He is also a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission
on Covid
19 and the African Union’s Commission on Covid
19. Dr
Quarraisha Abdool
Karim is a member of the Executive Group of the World Health Organization’s C
19 treatment and vaccine Solidarity trials.
��4 &#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ; &#x/MCI;&#xD 1 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 1 ;In addition to the three accomplishments above, they led the Fogarty International
Center’s Columbia University HIV training and research program for more than 20 years,
providing training for over 600 African
researchers.
Both Abdool Karims are members of the US National Academy of Medicine, The World
Academy of Science, African Academy of Sciences, Academy of Science in South Africa
and the Royal Society of South Africa. In addition, Dr. Salim S. Abdool Kar
im is a Fellow
of The Royal Society of the U.K. and is the first African scientist to be appointed on the
Editorial Board of the New England Journal of Medicine. The Abdool Karims have
served as science advisors of the WHO, UNAIDS, PEPFAR, The Global Fund
to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In summary, Drs
Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim are world renowned African
scientists who have had a marked impact on HIV prevention and treatment as well as
the Covid
19 response globally and especially in Africa.
Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim at th
e CAPRISA headquarters located on the
Nelson Mandela Medic
l School campus.
Credit: Matthew Henning
��5 &#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ; &#x/MCI;&#xD 1 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 1 ;Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim in the CAPRISA main laboratory.
Credit:
Matthew Henning
Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim at the CAPRISA eThekwinin Research clinic
speaking to a study participant
Credit: Dean Demos
Point of contact to the prize laureate
Smita Maharaj
Communications Manager
CAPRISA
Email:
Mobile: +27 (0)82
��7 &#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;Medical Services Category
Guinea Worm Eradication Program
A global campaign, led by The Carter
Center in partnership with stakeholders
in Africa, to eradicate the second human
disease in history.
Fourth
Hideyo N
guchi Africa
Prize for M
dical
Services goes to
the Guinea Worm Eradication
Program
for the near eradication of
Guinea worm disease, led by The
Carter Center and carried out in
partnership with ministries of health in Africa, communities, nongovernmental
organizations, and key partners like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Guinea Worm Eradication Program deserves to be awarded the Fourth Hideyo
Noguchi Africa Prize in the Medical Services category. The Carter Center began leading
the global campaign in 1986, and, today
, together with partners, works to erase the
scourge of this debilitating disease.
The parasitic disease is spread by consuming
contaminated drinking water and can be tackled with community education, water
filtration and, in cases of existing infection, p
roper treatment.
There is no vaccine or drug
to treat or prevent Guinea worm disease, only behavior modification and building trust at
the community level.
But achieving eradication continues to require reaching remote
locations, tackling conflict zones, a
nd reinforcing a vast infrastructure of local public
health and sanitation workers across the African continent. It was a bold idea in the 1980s
to target Guinea worm disease for eradication, but not a simple one. It would require
ongoing funding and decad
es of commitment. By 2021 the burden of Guinea worm
disease had fallen from an estimated 3.5 million cases annually to a mere 15
with more
than 80 million human cases averted
risk communities continue
to remain paramount, especially as animal transmission has
and all the stakeholders who have been involved in the Guinea Worm Eradication
Program at communal, regional,
national, and international levels for its extraordinary
Displacement by war and
nomadic lifestyles in
South Sudan make pipe filters
distributed to
men, women, and child
an important tool
against contracting Guinea worm disease.
Kuse Dam, Terekeka County, South Sudan (Photo
Credit: The Carter Center / L. Gubb)
achievements and the near eradication of the second human disease. Together we will
remain tenaciously vigilant to ensure that this ancient disease is relegated to the history
books.
Summary of
Achievements
Working closely with ministries of health and local communities in Africa and Asia, the
Guinea Worm Eradication Program, a global coalition led by The Carter Center, has
reduced cases by more than 99.99% from approximately 3.5 million in 1986
to just 15,
all in Africa, in 2021.
The presence of Guinea worm disease in an area usually indicates abject poverty,
including lack of safe drinking water. Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is a water
borne parasitic disease that causes tremendous s
��9 &#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;&#x/MCI;&#xD 0 ;of Guinea worm becoming the first parasite, and the second human disease (after
smallpox) to be eradicated in history.
Community
based village volunteers are the frontline heroes
of the Guinea Worm Eradication campaign and their
dedication and commitment are responsible for the progress:
99.99% eliminated worldwide. Molujore village, Terekeka
County, South Sudan
(Photo
credit: The Carter Center/L. Gubb)
Carter Center technical advisor Laur
s Dossou (
foreground
and volunteer supervisor Mende
Kelmane Alphonso instruct a crowd on how to detect Guinea worm disease during a cash rewards
ceremony in Dangabol Village, Ch
ad. People who report suspected Guinea worm infections and
take appropriate measures can receive rewards of up to $100.
(Photo Credit: The Carter Center / J. Hahn)
��10
Community health workers, Regina Natube, Morris Abure and Lokore Arkangelo of the
Guineaworm Eradication programme talk to villagers in Akoruni village about the cash reward
initiative, Republic of South Sudan (Photo Credit: The Carter Center/C. Marin)
https://www.cartercenter.org/news/features/h/guinea_worm/meet
regina
lotubai
lomare
lochilangole.html
Point of contact to the prize laureate
Carter Center Point of Contact:
Ms. Meagan Clem Martz
Office of Development,
Principal Gifts International
The Carter Center, Atlanta, USA
Carter Center Media Point of Contact:
Ms. Emily Staub
Office of Communications
The Carter Center, Atlanta,
��11
Brief Personal Record
Drs. Salim S. Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim
Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim
[Date of birth]
July 29
the Republic of
South Africa
[Education and Research Career]
MBChB, University of Natal, South Africa.
Internship, King Edward VIII Hospital Durban.
Intern Research Fellow, Research Institute for Diseases in
Tropical Environment of the South
African Medical Research
Council.
Resident/Registrar, Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Natal.
doctoral Fellow, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia
University, New York.
MS (Epidemiology),
School of Public Health, Columbia
University, New York.
Diploma in Datametrics (Computer Science), University of South
Africa.
Resident/Registrar, Department of Community Health, Faculty of
Medicine, Natal University
FFCH
(Community Medicine), College of Medicine, South Africa.
MMed (Community Health), University of Natal, South Africa.
Senior Epidemiologist, South African Medical Research Council.
time Senior Lecturer, Department of Op
tometry, University of
Durban
Westville.
Visiting Professor, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public
Health, Columbia University.
Director, CERSA: Centre for Epidemiological Research in South
Africa, Medical Research Council (MRC).
Adjunct Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology, Mailman
School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York.
Interim Director, Africa Centre for Population Studies and
Reproductive Health of the Wellcome Trust
��12
Visiting Professor, Weill Medical College, Cornell University,
New York.
PhD, University of Natal, South Africa
Director, HIV Prevention and Vaccine Research Unit, Medical
Research Council.
Professor of Clinical Epidemiol
ogy, Mailman School of Public
Health, Columbia University, New York
Deputy Vice
Chancellor (Research), University of Natal
Honorary Professor in Community Health, Nelson R. Mandela
School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu
Natal
Interim Director, KwaZulu
Natal Research Institute for TB and
HIV (K
RITH) of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Honorary Professor in Public Health, Nelson R. Mandela School
of Medicine, University of KwaZulu
Natal
President, South African Medical Research Council
Since 2000
Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College, Cornell
University, New York
Since 2002
Director: Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South
Africa (CAPRISA)
Since 2005
Chancellor (Research), University of KwaZulu
Natal
Since 2005
Adjunct Professor, Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services
Research, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell
University, New York
Since 2011
Associate Member, Ragon Institute of
Hospital (MGH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
and Harvard University
Since 2014
Director: MRC HIV
TB Pathogenesis and Treatment Research
Since 2015
Director: DST
NRF Centre of Excellence in HIV Prevention
Since 2016
CAPRISA Professor of Global Health, Department of
Epidemiology, Columbia University
Since 2019
Adjunct Professor in Immunology and Infectious Diseases,
Harvard University
Since 2022
��13
[Honors and Awards]
Reebok Human Rights Award from the Reebok Foundation
award was dedicated to the work of the anti
apartheid doctors
organization, NAMDA (The National Medical and Dental
Association) for its contributions to health and
human rights.
Best Man Award in the Science & Technology category from
Men’s Health Magazine
Hero in Medicine Award from the International Association of
Physicians for AIDS Care (IAPAC)
TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences from The World Ac
ademy of
Sciences (TWAS)
President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in World Health
(to the CAPRISA 004 Leadership Team) from DIA (Drug
Information Association)
Research leading to Innovation Award (to
Salim
Quarraisha
Abdool Karim on
behalf of the CAPRISA 004 Leadership Team)
from the South African National Science & Technology Forum
(NSTF) jointly with BHP Billiton in recognition of the
contributions to HIV prevention through the CAPRISA 004 study
Allan Rosenfield Alumni Award f
or Excellence (jointly to
Salim
Quarraisha Abdool Karim) from Columbia University’s
Alumni Association in recognition for excellence in AIDS research
Medicine Award
Fellowship in Art & Science of Medicine (Gold)
from the South African Medical A
ssociation in recognition for
excellence in research on microbicides, vaccines and TB
treatment
Science
Science in South Africa (ASSAf) in recognition of excellence in
the application of outstandin
g scientific thinking in the service of
Outstanding Senior African Scientist Award from the European
and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)
Olusegun Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery and
Technological
Innovation from the African Academy of Sciences
(to Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim)
N’Galy
Mann Award (to Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim) for
��14
global contributions in HIV epidemiology and clinical research
Minara recognition award for Aca
demic Excellence (to Salim
and Quarraisha Abdool Karim)
John F. W. Herschel Medal in recognition of Highly Distinguished
Multidisciplinary Contributions to the furtherance of Science from
Distinguished Scholar
Award from the Biomedical HIV
Prevention Forum of Nigeria
DSc (Medicine) (Honoris causa) from the University of Cape
US Science and Technology Pioneers Prize (to the CAPRISA 004
trial team) from the United States Agency for International
Development
Mayor’s Award from the eThekwini Metro, South Africa
Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award from the African
Union (highest scientific award in Africa)
Platinum Lifetime Achievement Award from the
South African
Medical Re
search Council
“MASEA Award” from the KwaZulu
Natal Department of Health
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Human
Virology, USA (to Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim)
Sumait Prize from the Amir of Kuwait and the Kuwait
Foundation for the Advancement of Science
John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award from the
Gairdner Foundation, Canada (to Salim and Quarraisha Abdool
Karim)
John Maddox Prize for Standing up for Science from Sense about
Science and Na
ture (shared prize awarded jointly to both Dr. A
Fauci and Dr. Salim S. Abdool Karim)
500 years of the Straits of Magellan Award from the government
of Chile (to Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim)
The Sunday Times Top 100 Honorary Award for c
ontributions to
the South African Covid
19 response
CPHIA 2021 Lifetime Achievement in Public Health Award from
the African Union (AU) and Africa CDC
Honorary Doctorate: DSc (honoris causa) from Rhodes University
��15
UNISA Chancellor’s
Calabash Award from the University of
South Africa
Honorary Fellowship from The College of Pathologists in
Virology from The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
VinFuture Special Prize from the VinFuture Foundation in
Quarraisha
Abdool Karim
[Date of birth]
March 28
the Republic of South Africa
[Education and Research Career]
BSc (Microbiology, Biochemistry), University of Durban
Westville, South Africa
BSc (Hons) (Biochemistry), University of
Witwatersrand, South
Africa.
Higher Education Diploma (Post
graduate), University of South
Africa.
MS (Parasitology), Columbia University, United States
Senior Epidemiologist, South African Medical Research Council
Diploma in
Public Service Management (cum laude), University of
Pretoria, South Africa.
National Director: AIDS and STI Control Programme, Department
of Health, Government of South Africa
Head: AIDS Research Programme, Centre for Epidemiolo
gical
Research in South Africa, South African Medical Research
Council
PhD (Medicine), University of Natal, South Africa
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman
School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York
Adjunct Associate Professor in Epidemiology, Mailman School of
Public Health, Columbia University, New York
Honorary Associate Professor, School of Family Medicine and
Public Health, Nelson R Mandela Medical School, University of
KwaZulu
Natal, Durban, South Africa
��16
Since 2002
Associate Scientific Director, CAPRISA
Associate Professor, School of Family and Public Health
Medicine, Nelson R Mandela Medical School, University of Natal,
Durban, South Africa
Associate Professor in Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public
Health, Columbia University, New York
Visiting Scientist, Massachusetts General Hospital and Visiting
Lecturer, Harvard University
Adjunct Professor in Public Health
and Family Medicine,
University of KwaZulu
Natal
Since 2013
Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public
Health, Columbia University.
Since 2014
Adjunct Professor in Public Health, University of KwaZulu
Natal
Since 2018
Chancellor (African Health), University of KwaZulu
Natal
[Honors and Awards]
ASHOKA Fellow in recognition of leadership in the field of
HIV/AIDS
Trac Award from the National AIDS Convention of South
Africa
TAC Recognition Award
from the Treatment Action Campaign
UNISA Chancellor’s Calabash Outstanding Educator Award from
the University of South Africa
DIA President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in World
Health (to the CAPRISA 004 Leadership Team) from the Drug
Information Association
Research leading to Innovation Award (to Quarraisha
and Salim
Abdool Karim on behalf of the CAPRISA 004 Leadership Team)
from the South African National Science & Technology Forum
(NSTF) jointly with BHP Billiton in recognition of the
contributions to HIV prevention through the CAPRISA 004 study
Allan Rosenfie
ld Alumni Award for Excellence (jointly to
Quarraisha
and Salim
Abdool Karim) from Columbia University’s
Alumni Association in recognition for excellence in AIDS research
Olusegun Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery and
��17
Technological Innovation f
rom the African Academy of Sciences
(to Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim)
N’Galy
Mann Award (to Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim) for
global contributions in HIV epidemiology and clinical research
Minara recognition award for Academic
Excellence (to Quarraisha
and Salim Abdool Karim)
TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences from The World Academy of
Science
MEC’s Annual Service Excellence Award from the Department of
Health KwaZulu
Natal
Order of the Mapungubwe, President of So
uth Africa (highest
national order of South Africa)
Convocation Award from the University of KwaZulu
Natal
Kwame Nkrumah Regional Scientist Award from the African
Union
South African National Research Foundation A2
Rated Scientist
Lenovo Science Prize from The World Academy of
Science (TWAS)
Scientific Merit Award (gold medal) from the South African
Medical Research Council
Science
eThekwini Living Legends Award from the City of Durban, in
recognition of contributions to HIV and Women’s Health
L’Oreal
UNESCO Women in Science Laureate for Africa and the
Middle East
Standard Bank Top Women in Science Award
Financial Times Top 10 women leaders for 2016
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Human
Virology, USA (to Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim)
Honorary Philosophiae Doctor Honoris Causa from the University
of Johannesburg
Excellence in Healthcare Award from the KwaZulu
Natal Doctors
Healthcare Coalition
HPTN 2018 Ward Cates Spirit Award from the International HIV
��18
Prevention Trials Network
Lifetime Achievement Award for valuable contribution in the field
of HIV medicine and infectious diseases from the HIV Congress,
Mumbai
Women Fellows in Leadership Recognition Award from the
African Academy of Science
African Leadership Award,
Paris
NRF A1 rated Scientist, South African National Research
Foundation
John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award from the
Gairdner Foundation, Canada (to Quarraisha and Salim Abdool
Karim)
Christophe Merieux Infectious Diseases A
ward from the French
Academy of Sciences
500 years of the Straits of Magellan Award from the government
of Chile (to Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim)
University of Stellenbosch Honorary Philosophiae Doctor Honoris
Causa
Bernard
Major Publications
of Dr
Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim
New HIV prevention strategies for women
Abdool
Karim
Abdool
Karim
Frohlich
Grobler
Baxter
Mansoor
Kharsany
Sibeko
Mlisana
Gengiah
Maarschalk
Arulappan
Mlotshwa
Morris
Taylor
Effectiveness
��19
Abdool
Karim
Kashuba
Werner
Abdool
Karim
concentrations
after
topical
Ntombela
Abdool
Karim
Stabilizing
prevalence
masks
incidence
rates
amongst
rural
urban
women
KwaZulu
Natal,
South
Africa.
International
Journal
Epidemiology
2011;
McKinnon
Liebenberg
Yende
Archary
Ngcapu
Sivro
Nagelkerke
Garcia
Lerma
Kashuba
Masson
Mansoor
Abdool
Karim
Abdool
Karim
Passmore
Genital
inflammation
undermines
effectiveness
tenofovir
preventing
acquisition
women.
Nature
Medicine
24(4):
Liebenberg
McKinnon
Yende
��20
Williamson
Morris
Evolution
glycan
dependent
broadly
neutralizing
antibody
epitope
through
immune
escape.
Nature
Medicine
18(11):1688
Doria
Gorman
Moore
Bhiman
DeKosky
Ernandes
Georgiev
Pancera
Staupe
Altae
Bailer
Crooks
Abdool
Karim
Naidoo
Grobler
Padayatchi
Baxter
Gengiah
Bamber
Singh
Pienaar
Friedland
Abdool
Karim
Timing
initiation
antiretroviral
drugs
during
tuberculosis
therapy.
England
Journal
Medicin
362(8):697
Abdool
Karim
Naidoo
Grobler
Padayatchi
Baxter
Gengiah
Gengiah
Naidoo
Jithoo
Friedland
Abdool
Karim
Integration
��21
Abdool
Karim
Abdool
Karim
research
local
policy.
Nature
463(7282):7
Abdool
Karim
Churchyard
Abdool
Karim
infection
tuberculosis
South
Africa:
urgent
escalate
public
health
response.
��22
Brief
Organizational
Record of
Guinea Worm Eradication Program
Essentials of the
Program]
Started in
Covered Countries:
Current
Angola
Ethiopia
South
Sudan
Stopped
transmission
and/or
certification
Sudan,
Certified
Guinea
Benin,
Burkina
Faso,
Cameroon
Central
African
Republic,
d’lvoire,
Ghana,
*India,
Kenya
Mauritania,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Pakistan,
Senegal,
Togo,
Uganda,
Yemen
Leading Organization
: The Carter Center
Key Partners: National governments, local communities,
and many local, national, and
international partners, including WHO, CDC, and UNICEF.
Chronology
Smallpox is certified eradicated and is the first disease eradicated
in history; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), under the
leadership of Dr. Donald Hopkins, begins to
explore the eradication of the second human disease, Guinea worm.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter becomes the champion for the
eradication of an obscure neglected disease, Guinea worm.
The Carter Cent
er, under the leadership of Dr. Hopkins, assumes
leadership of the global campaign and begins activities
in Pakistan
(certified as eliminated in 1996).
Launched
in Nigeria
(certified in 2013)
, Ghana
(certified in 2015)
and Kenya
(certified in 2018).
in Cameroon
certified in 2013).
Ethiopia (currently endemic).
in Burkina Faso (certified in 2011) and Senegal (certified in 2004).
Benin (
certified in 2009
and Chad (currently endemic).
Cote D
Ivoire (certified in 2013), Mauritania (certified in 2009),
Yemen (certified in 2004), and Sudan (transmission stopped in
��23
2002; preparing application*).
Uganda (
certified in 2009
in Central African Republic (certified in 2007).
ogo (certified in 2011).
in Mali (currently endemic).
in South Sudan, programmatic activities continue as it becomes the
world
s newest country (currently endemic).
Reported in Angola (currently endemic).
The Democratic Republic of
the Congo (submitted application for
certification; results pending)
The WHO is the only organization that can officially certify the elimination or
eradication of any disease.
To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has certified 199 countries
free of
Guinea worm; only seven have not been certified, including the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, where no case has been reported since 1958. The DRC has submitted,
Sudan intends to submit its dossier for certification in 2022.
When transmiss
ion is interrupted, The Carter Center provides continued assistance in
surveillance and helps endemic countries prepare for official evaluation by the
independent International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis
Eradication and certificatio
n by the WHO. The CDC provides technical assistance and
verifies that worm specimens truly are Guinea worms.
* Early in the campaign, in 1983, India launched its own program, reporting its last
indigenous case in 1996. India was certified in 2000.
[Honors and Awards]
A Selection of Awards Received by Members of the Guinea Worm Eradication Program (by
recipient)
The Carter Center
Gates Award for Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Recognizing Excellence Around Champions of Health (REACH)
Awards bestowed by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown
Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
��24
Dr. Nabil Aziz Awad Alla (Suda
: Courage Award
Dr. Adamu Keana Sallau (Nigeria)
: Last Mile Award
Regina Lotubai Lomare Lochilangole (South Sudan)
Unsung Hero Award
Daniel Madit Kuol Madut, South Sudan
: Unsung Hero
Award
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, founder, The Carter
Center
Nobel Peace Prize
Mr. Adam Weiss, M.P.H., Director, Guinea Worm Eradication
Program
Charles C. Shepard Award, Rollins School of Public Health,
Emory University
Craig Withers, M.B.A., M.H.A., Vice President for Carter
Center Overseas Operations and longtime Guinea worm
warrior
Albert Bandura Award as an Influencer, Vital Smarts, Inc.
Certificate of Appreciation, government of South Sudan for
contributions to the
eradication of Guinea worm
Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, Special Advisor for Guinea Worm
Eradication
CDC Medal of Excellence (*Distinguished Service Medal of the
U.S. Public Health Service)
Knight of the National Order of Mali
Medal of Honor of Public Health (Gold), Niger
Champion of Public Health, Tulane University
Mectizan Award, Merck Inc.
James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation Prize for Improving
Health
Pumphandle Award for Outsta
nding Contributions to Applied
Epidemiology, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Honorary doctorates from Harvard University, Yale University,
Morehouse College, and Emory University
Dr. Ernesto Ruiz
Tiben, Ph.D., Former Director (1998
2008),
Guinea Worm Eradication Program
Outstanding Service Medal, CDC
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Certificate of Appreciation, Government of South Sudan for
contributions to the eradication of Guinea worm
Ms. Kelly Calla
han, Director, Carter Center’s Trachoma
Control Program and longtime Guinea worm warrior
2017 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian
Service, U.S. Peace Corps
Dr. Emmanuel S. Miri, Country Director Nigeria, Carter
Center Health
Programs
Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Abuja,
Dr. Abdulrahman A. Al
Awadi
, Kuwait
Award from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al
Ahmad Al
Jaber Al
Sabah for his 30 years of service to Kuwait.
Major
Publications]
review publishing and operational research:
Beginning with its Guinea Worm Eradication Program, The Carter Center has built a
reputation for pioneering operational research,
often while both
implementing and
evaluating interventions t
hrough the publication of findings in the peer
reviewed
literature. These hundreds of scholarly publications have demonstrated success, described
challenges, contributed to local and global best practices, and informed WHO guidelines.
Similarly, hundreds
of earned media stories have been placed and dozens of human
interest stories have been collected in various formats to document the Guinea Worm
Eradication Program
s journey to zero.
Here are f
examples
1. Eberhard, Mark L., et al., “The Peculiar Epidemiology of Dracunculiasis in Chad.”
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
, vol. 90, no. 1, 2014, pp. 61
2. Priest, Jeffrey W., et al., “Development of a Multiplex Bead Assay for the Detectio
of Canine IgG4 Antibody Response to Guinea Worm.”
American Journal of Tropical
Medicine and Hygiene
, vol. 104, no. 1, 2021, pp. 303
3.Ribado, Jessica V., et al., “Linked surveillance and genetic data uncovers
��26
programmatically relevant geographic sc
ale of Guinea worm transmission in Chad.”
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol 15, no. 7
4. Wuilbercq, Emeline, ‘“End is in sight’: tackling a rare disease in a global pandemic.”
Thomson Reuters Foundation News.
29 April 2021.
5. “Guinea Worm Warrior’s Weapon is a Song.”
The Carter Center.
24 August 2021.