A Modern Miracle, Great News, work of President Jimmy Carter.

[sun]

"Cases of Guinea worm disease — a horrifying infection that culminates in worms coming out of a victim's skin — have reached an all-time low worldwide, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced Friday.

Only 4,410 cases were reported worldwide during the first ten months of this year, all in six African countries. Nearly 80 percent were in Sudan, according to The Carter Center, the disease-fighting nonprofit founded by Carter and his wife.

That total is a dramatic drop from the 3.5 million cases in 20 nations that were reported when The Carter Center's eradication campaign began in 1986. It's also less than half the 9,585 cases reported by individual nations in 2007.

"Our record on Guinea worm for the last few years has been steadily and rapidly downward," Carter said.

Health experts hope that next year may see the last reported cases of the parasitic illness, which would make it the second infection — after smallpox — to be eliminated from the world."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hdYCw... (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hdYCwRVjAtPW80M3kZ78L7BZANNwD94SJGI80)

Here is another source on this topic..

http://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/index.html

[Rook]

The too stubborn to die 84 year old is putting a parasite in it's place, nice. Man Africa's been taking too much of a beating, its nice to see some changes like this.

Meh, I frown on the "entire world" statement. Apparently, Guinea worm can only be hosted in humans. Given how the world works I doubt there is anything stopping it from adapting to another source. You cant eliminate a disease from the world unless you sterilize the entire planet from the mantle up. You might stop it from infecting humans, but not the world.

[Radical Raven]

Stopping it from getting humans is probably a good short-term goal, though.