Former President Jimmy Carter joined the World Health Organization in London today to ask governments and nongovernmental organizations for $93 million in donations over four years to rid the world of guinea worm disease, a debilitating infection that still afflicts four African countries. In 1980, about 3.5 million people in 20 countries suffered from guinea worm disease, an affliction so painful that it can immobilize sufferers for months. According to the World Health Organization, only 970 cases of guinea worm have been confirmed from January through August this year, primarily in the ... Read More
Volunteers Battle Purple Plague, Whistling Frog
January 23, 2010 • By • 1 Comment
Like aliens in a horror movie, the velvet tree of Mexico and whistling frog of Puerto Rico are viewed as monster invaders on the Hawaiian Islands, repulsive things that threaten the native forests and disturb the locals' peace of mind. In a state with 5,300 invasive species, the most feared is miconia aka "the purple plague" and "the tree that ate Tahiti." Its huge purple and green leaves layer two stories high, blocking the sun and snuffing out the mosses and ferns below. Unlike other trees, miconia cannot hold the soil. On Tahiti, it is a "green cancer" that has taken over 75 percent of ... Read More
