Here's a happy story. The Guinea worm (a.k.a., for those biblically-oriented folks out there, the "fiery serpent") has been a plague on the land (some lands) ever since, well, forever. Along with malaria, hookworm, whipworm, schistosomes, trypanosomes, and a host of other nasty, and often deadly, parasitic organisms. Every year millions of people are either killed or severely incapacitated by these various parasites. Do we hear about it in "developed" countries? Hell no. We're too busy worrying about housing bubbles and bank bail-outs. Death? Incapacitating suffering? What? Do you realise the price of a nice bottle of cabernet sauvignon just went up by a dollar?!?

So, like I said, this is a happy story. The guinea worm (known more formally as Dracunculus medinensis) is about to disappear from the face of the Earth. Like smallpox, no one should mourn its passing.

By the way, if you're curious about how dracunculiasis has been treated historically, have a look at the doctor's symbol - the caduceus. Then go here, and enlarge the photo in the top right corner. Ooooohhhhh........

Have I mentioned that I'm a parasitologist by training?