

Guinea worm: Close to eradication? [video] - BruceM
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/lifelines/2014/04/guinea-worm-close-eradication-201443142217780153.html

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BruceM
While horrifying, this was pretty interesting. The ability to interrupt the
cycle of the worm with existing technology is inspiring.

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healthenclave
Guinea worm have been eradicated already from many developing countries for
quite some time now. Eg: they were eradicated roughly in the 1970's from
India.

Mostly only some African countries still have endemic of Guinea worm. Step
wells contributed a large part to the propagation of disease.

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ForHackernews
This has been a major goal of Jimmy Carter and his foundation. Further
evidence that he's our best ex-president.

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ars
They say eradication, but that's the same thing as extinction.

Is this worm being preserved in any way? Perhaps as frozen eggs?

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presidentender
There's an organization which offers to allow volunteers to serve as hosts in
order to preserve the species:
[http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/preservers.htm](http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/preservers.htm)

~~~
thaumasiotes
It's worth pointing out that Save the Guinea Worm Foundation is a joke site
(and note that they specifically point out they're not accepting volunteers),
while your parent comment appears, worryingly, to be serious.

[http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/truth.htm](http://www.deadlysins.com/guineaworm/truth.htm)

~~~
ars
I don't want this thing in the wild!! (Or in a human volunteer for that
matter. Assuming that site wasn't a joke would someone actually be crazy
enough to do it?)

But preserving eggs somehow in a lab seems worthwhile.

~~~
thaumasiotes
From Reason magazine's interview with Dave Barry
([http://reason.com/archives/1994/12/01/all-i-think-is-that-
it...](http://reason.com/archives/1994/12/01/all-i-think-is-that-its-
stupid/1)):

> Reason: You've written in your columns about the strategic helium reserve
> the government keeps in case we have a sudden need for a fleet of
> dirigibles.

> Barry: What bugs me when I write that is that I suspect 90 percent of my
> readers think I made it up.

> Reason: What's something about the government that really pisses you off?

> Barry: Well, that helium thing does. That's real money. All the tax money
> that I've ever, ever paid--and I've paid a lot of taxes--will not even begin
> to pay for one year of the strategic helium reserve.

~~~
ars
Just because Dave Barry can't think of any use for helium doesn't mean
everyone has that problem. And in fact 20 years later people got very worried
about the ability to keep MRI machines running due to a (potential) lack of
Helium.

It's a good thing not everyone is as shortsighted as him.

No one can think of a use for guina worms right now, but that doesn't mean no
one ever will.

~~~
tritium
The thing that bothers me is that, once you have the helium, it's not like
it's a chore to maintain the stockpile.

How much does it cost to hermetically seal a noble gas inside a durable
container, and stow it in a warehouse?

