The sixth meeting of the ICCDE – International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) Eradication – was held 5 to 7 March at WHO headquarters in Geneva.
It brought together representatives from a range of organizations, including the Austrian government, the Carter Center, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and UNICEF to discuss and certify 12 more countries.
In 1995, WHO created the ICCDE as an independent body consisting of scientific experts from all over the world. The group meets periodically to assess global progress towards the eradication of guinea-worm disease in countries where it remains endemic and to review the list of countries applying for certification, the WHO stamp of approval that declares them free of GWD transmission.