Health & Development International (HDI) is a
non-governmental organization (NGO) with offices in the United States and
Norway and is dedicated to working toward the eradication of Guinea worm
disease and lymphatic filariasis in Africa and elsewhere.
HDI’s partners include national
governments, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, The Carter Center, and major corporations.
What is Guinea worm disease?
Guinea worm is a parasitic disease
that humans contract by drinking water contaminated with water fleas
carrying infective larvae. A year after the larvae are ingested, one or
more worms that have grown up to one meter long, painfully emerge over
several days through the skin of men, women, and children afflicted with
this disease.
What
is lymphatic filariasis?
Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic
disease transmitted among humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. It can
lead to lymphoedema and elephantiasis, a crippling condition in which limbs
or other parts of the body become swollen in a dramatic and grotesque
manner. In males it also leads to disfigurement of the external genitalia,
e.g., the scrotum can increase to more than the size of a basketball and
weigh 15 kg. or 33 lb.
Some examples of what HDI
has done:
Distributed over 9 million
individual water pipe filters in Sudan that are used to filter water while
drinking and avoid ingesting infective larvae.
Established a Guinea worm rewards
program to provide monetary rewards to people who report cases and to
patients who go to special centers for treatment.
Organized mass drug distribution
programs to stop transmission of lymphatic filariasis, helping over 5.5
million people in Ghana and Togo alone in 2003.
Coordinated key meetings to
design and plan global lymphatic filariasis efforts.
Produced a landmark manual for
public health workers on the treatment of lymphatic filariasis,
distributing English and French editions across Africa.
Started the world's first community-based rapid obstetric fistula prevention program, in Bankilare Niger.
How can I learn more about HDI?
Visit the HDI web site at: www.hdi.no
Contact:
Dr. Anders Seim
Executive Director
Health & Development International
Svestadvn 27
1458 Fjellstrand
NORWAY