Killing the Worm

Toting clean water from the well dug by Save The Children.

For those of you my age or older you might remember the horrendous stories from the 80s and 90s about a terrible affliction in Africa and Asia, Guinea Worm Disease. Essentially this was due to someone drinking dirty, stagnant water and ingesting a Guinea worm larvae. Over the following year the Guinea worm would grow to adulthood inside the human. It then would leave the body through a lesion in the skin. (I will not show you photos because it will turn your stomach.) It’s painful and really gross. There is no drug treatment. There is no vaccine.

It was the stuff of nightmares! So why is this good news???

Because was is the key word! In the mid-80s approximately 3.5 million people annually suffered with this parasite growing inside them. In 2022 the number was only 13 souls. This is due in large part to dozens of organizations working to provide clean water to people in towns and villages in the farthest reaches of the world.

There are many organizations that dig wells or purify water, one I know that is doing good work is The Living Water Project. Click here for more information.