"Guinea worm is about as close to a real-life Alien event as you can get — a parasitic worm mates inside a person's abdomen, grows up to 3-feet long and then exits (painfully) from a blister. But the worm's final chapter is near: The world is closer than ever to wiping the parasite off the face of the Earth.

There were only 17 cases of Guinea worm in the first five months of this year, the Carter Center Monday. That's a 75 percent reduction from this time last year, when 68 people reported infections."

Michaeleen Doucleff reports for NPR July 8, 2014. [2]