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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Guinea Worm Disease [wikipedia.org] is on the verge of eradication [npr.org]:

Guinea worm is going down. Way down. From more than 3 million cases of Guinea worm disease a year in the 1980s, the world tally in 2016 stands at just two confirmed cases. Both are in Chad and are believed to have been contained before they had a chance to spread. (There are also two suspected cases, one in Chad and one in Ethiopia.) If Guinea worm is pushed into extinction, then Guinea worm disease would be just the second human disease to be eradicated after smallpox.

It's not a fatal condition but it's pretty horrible. There's a good reason the Guinea worm's nickname is "fiery serpent." Guinea worm larvae live in fresh water. When people drink from contaminated ponds and other bodies of stagnant water, they can become infected with the parasite. The larvae turn into worms that can grow to be up to 3 feet long. After about a year, the worm creates a blister, typically on the legs or feet, for its slow and painful exit.

When the worm first erupts, the person suffers a burning sensation and often seeks comfort by submerging the wound in a lake or a stream. The worm takes this opportunity to release a cloud of tens of thousands of larvae into the water. Other people end up drinking that larvae-laden water, which starts the cycle all over again. There's no medication to kill the worms. The only treatment is to slowly pull or cut the worm out of the infected person's body.

91-year-old former President Jimmy Carter may get his wish [npr.org] to see the last guinea worm die before he does.

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