The next time someone on the right decides to bash Jimmy Carter, they should read this column in Thursday's New York Times by Nick Kristof:
Guinea worms grow up to a yard long inside the body and finally poke out through the skin. They cause excruciating pain and must be pulled out slowly, an inch or two a day. In endemic areas like this district in Lakes State of southern Sudan, people can have a dozen Guinea worms dangling from their bodies.
[...]
For the last 24 years, former President Jimmy Carter has led the global struggle against the disease. When he started, there were 3.5 million cases annually in 20 countries. Last year, there were fewer than 3,200 cases in four countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali and Sudan. The great majority of the remaining cases are here in southern Sudan.
How horrible is this parasite? See for yourself (warning: photos require a strong stomach). This is in addition to the Carter Center's efforts on River Blindness, which have resulted in the eradication of the disease from Ecuador and the expectation that the disease will be gone from the Americas in two years.
Inspiring work that will no doubt have little impact on the pathological naysayers on the right, but means everything to those at risk.
Recent Comments