Imagine living day to day in a place plagued by constant poverty and unimaginable disease. AIDS, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), dracunculiasis (guinea worm disease), malaria, nodding syndrome, and onchocerciasis (river blindness) are some of the most common diseases the people of southern Sudan have to live in constant fear of. Although some of the diseases widespread in southern Sudan such as AIDS and malaria are also found elsewhere, southern Sudan is also plagued by some of the more exotic diseases such as guinea worm disease, nodding syndrome, river blindness, and sleeping sickness that are almost entirely local to Sudan and neighboring African countries. (more…)