As written, the title is wrong, though the article does contain the correct statement that "Guinea worm disease is on the brink of becoming the second ever <i>human disease</i> to be completely eradicated through human endeavour".<p>Rinderpest, a viral disease of cattle, has also been eradicated: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eradication_of_infectious_diseases" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eradication_of_infectious_dise...</a>
The sad thing is, that we could be a lot further in eradication of many diseases. We are on a good way with polio and measles, but the uneducated and plain stupid people that refuse to vaccinate are a grave danger to that endeavour.
Also, the shortsightet and ideologic agenda of many "ecological" organizations for banning DDT was a huge setback in the fight for the eradication of malaria, as is now the zealotry against genetic therapy and stem cell research.
"The rare Guinea Worm faces extinction. Yet despite growing public support for environmentalism and preservation of endangered species, few people will speak out on the Guinea Worm's behalf. In fact, the United Nations and several prominent U.S. agencies are leading a quiet campaign to eradicate this dwindling species forever from the planet. Is the Guinea Worm the world's most endangered species?"<p><a href="http://www.deadlysins.com/guinea-worm/" rel="nofollow">http://www.deadlysins.com/guinea-worm/</a>
I often wonder if there is any argument to be made that completely eradicating the Guinea Worm, Anopheles mosquitoes, Variola major and Variola minor (SmallPox Virus) is not a 100% good objective.<p>My perspective (as well, I'm guessing, approximately 100% of humanity's, to quite a few significant digits), is that any significantly lower being that hurts humanity, or presents a threat, has no right to exist, and therefore we'll terminate its entire existence.<p>But, you can see, taken to its logical conclusion, that thought pattern could lead to less than desirable ethical behaviors.<p>Perhaps we draw the ethical line at the vertebrates. And maybe Octopuses.
The educational tshirt (<a href="http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/insert_main_wide_image/public/10c._educational_materials_df.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://images.mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/styles/ins...</a>) is quite wonderful. Selling them in the West would help raise funds - I would want one!
Biologically speaking, you should keep this species. Because its unique biochemistry possesses the secret of penetration and adoption to human immune system. If the species is lost, this will be lost too and we shall hardly ever achieve tech of curing human body with internal self-delivering mech agents, like the famous "Kremlin Pill", just going through the body, not the intestines.