donald hopkins: this is a parasitic infection that people get when they drink contaminated water from open ponds. a year later, worms that are two or three feet long come out of their body. the threadlike worm emerges slowly through a painful blister in the skin. if the worm breaks during its exit from the body, it causes a severe infection. donald hopkins: people are incapacitated, usually temporarily, for periods averaging six to eight weeks. during that time, children can't go to school, farmers can't farm, parents can't take care of their young toddlers. many victims immerse the affected area in water to soothe the burning pain. when the female worm touches the water, she releases tens of thousands of larvae that begin the cycle again. although guinea worm disease cannot be cured once the larvae is ingested, the disease can be stopped if the one-year life cycle is broken. donald hopkins: it can be prevented completely by teaching people not to go into water when they have worms coming out of their body, because that's how the infant worms get back into the water. teach people to b