Dr. KARL DANIEL KAPPUS
GUINEA WORM WARRIOR
(1938-2010).
Dr. Karl Kappus with his wife, Olivia, raised their son Daniel at 216 Glendale Ave.
[The following was taken from an August 11, 2012 AJC article written by Bill Hendricks] “Big game was not his target, but Dr. Karl Daniel Kappus spent countless hours hunting in the bush in Africa, stalking the guinea worm -- a tiny parasite that has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Before one of his many expeditions there, he ‘went to every thrift shop in town, looking for baseball caps, and when he left there he must have had 100 in his luggage,’ said Olivia Kappus, his wife of 37 years. ‘These caps were given as incentives and rewards to people in the villages who reported new cases of guinea worm so that control methods be instituted. He designed the strategy for supervision and communication at the village level, and the plan was ‘instrumental in the eradication of guinea worm in Uganda and in other countries as well,’ Mrs. Kappus said. Guinea worms cause a parasitic infection known as dracunculiasis that in 1986 afflicted an estimated 3.5 million people. Now, thanks to the efforts of scientists like Dr. Kappus at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Carter Center and Emory University, the crippling waterborne parasite has been all but eradicated.
That work was his proudest achievement, Mrs. Kappus said.”’
Dr. Kappus earned his doctoral degree at Ohio State University by conducting research on mosquitoes, After graduating from the Ohio State University and before he became involved with the guinea worm work, he spent 2 decades working to improve public health around rabies, schistosomiasis, and influenza, among other diseases. Thereafter with his doctorate in entomology, Dr. Kappus devoted himself to working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He worked at the CDC for more than three decades. During his tenure and for several years after his retirement, he valiantly fought to eradicate guinea worm disease, helping in particular to develop the strategies for vector control and for case containment. Working in cooperation with CDC and The Carter Center, he trained guinea worm fighters in Pakistan, Uganda, Nigeria and Ghana, and helped develop the technical manual for use in Guinea Worm Eradication Programs. He lived to see the end of Guinea worm disease in all of the countries where he worked, and almost the completion of the global campaign.
“He would certainly emphasize that he was part of an effort involving many, many people which included those from CDC, the Carter Center, The World Health Organization and the governments of the many countries where the work was undertaken. He valued most of all these social contacts with people from circumstances very different than his own.” advises his son, Dan. “He believed in public service. He believed that despite the inevitable difficulties in politics and administration, government services guided by expert advice could ameliorate suffering. He believed that everyone had a duty to do their best to help the human condition. He was an empiricist who believed careful examination of a problem could reveal the solution.”
Dr. Kappus is remembered as a “humanist” who had a genuine passion for people. He was famous among his friends for his subtle humor, his high intelligence, and his kindness.
He grew orchids, read voraciously, loved to cook and had a passion for classical music, especially Beethoven and Brahms. He was very proud of his wife and son and his decades-long membership in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta and his involvement with the Appalachian Trail Club.
(Submitted by K. Lee in collaboration with son, Daniel Kappus - January 2021)