(CNN) -- It started as an itch on James Madol's right ankle and
festered. Two days later, the boy cried when he saw a thin white
worm emerge. "I didn't know what it was," says Madol, who was
around 5 at the time. The worm slowly slithered from his ankle,
secreting toxins that felt "like fire burning." Even after the
worm was removed, Madol couldn't walk for months. He stayed in
his hut, able to crawl out only to relieve himself. Now 32 and a
nurse, Madol travels for miles on dirt roads through rural
southern Sudan, tracking down his longtime enemy, the Guinea
worm. Spanning up to 3 feet, the Guinea worm looks like an
elongated spaghetti noodle. Infection with this parasite can
paralyze humans, sicken entire villages and cripple economies.
Believed to be "the fiery serpent" described in the Bible, the
Guinea worm has plagued mankind since ancient Egyptian times.
Now it's close to becoming the second disease in the world to be
eradicated, after smallpox, health officials say. The Guinea
worm's last stronghold i