What's this? Good news? Yes. It turns out that thanks to a variety of eradication efforts, time, materials, and education, Guinea worm infections are at an all-time low (assuming President Carter can be believed...)
This parasitic worm is being drawn out of a child's foot by a clinic worker in Savelugu, Ghana. Guinea worm (Dracunculiasis) infections are nasty deals, caused by imbibing small water fleas that are in turn infected with worm larvae. When the flea-born larvae enter the human body, they grow, sometimes to a length of three feet. When they finally emerge into the big, blue world, it is through a festering blister on the person's skin.
Thanks to all those workers who have fought this parasite. I'm sure a purist out there will say that the Guinea worm plays a vital part in some section of the African ecology, but that's little consolation to children such as this one. The world can do with one less parasitic worm.