If the world seems especially grim right now, let me report some good news.
You may have heard of the Guinea worm, a particularly painful parasite with an unusual lifecycle. It’s responsible for the disease dracunculiasis, which historically has sickened about 3.5 million people a year across 20 African and Asian countries.
For the past three decades, The Carter Center (former President Jimmy Carter’s organization) has been leading an eradication campaign. Now, after all this time, they can claim success. Last year only 22 cases were reported in four African countries, so the Guinea worm has nearly been eradicated.
I don’t want to go into gruesome details, so everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the worm, this disease, and the war against it can be found on The Carter Center’s website, http://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/index.html. But I’m very happy to report on this success.