Sandra Parmee from FAIRLADY caught up with the couple who created the documentary series, Lifelines – the Quest for Global Health.

Living in this country, we can’t imagine the suffering of people who have disease as their closest neighbour. We are fortunate. But working on this, I’ve seen that there is hope. It has tickled my optimism nerve.

Disease contributes hugely to poverty. Sometimes people are ostracised – whole groups have to move. By getting on top of these diseases, people are liberated from suffering.

The only human disease that’s ever been eradicated is smallpox. Two major diseases are targeted for eradication right now: Guinea worm and polio. With only 148 Guinea worm cases in the world last year, we believe it will happen.

Guinea worm is a disease of war. Where there is conflict, viruses and diseases flourish.

In Syria, polio had been eliminated more than a decade ago. But because of the conflict, it began to appear again.

There are good news stories – people on the frontline of public health are working to eradicate these diseases.

It’s amazing to watch their detective work. With Guinea worm, the health workers track where people drink and might have become infected, then follow up where they might have bathed and contaminated water sources. Through their efforts, it is down by 99,9% from 3,5 million cases 26 years ago.

With the documentary, we’re hoping to raise awareness about the diseases, and to show the effect ordinary people are having in their communities.

There were a few dramas during filming. Long, tiring journeys, the delayed arrival of equipment, minor illnesses and weight loss…

We often ended up where the road ends, places with very little infrastructure. Most of the time we stayed in good hotels and lodges, but in Mogos, South Sudan – the most remote location we visited – we camped.

A rebel leader threatened one of the towns we had to go through. We went with the Carter Center, under armed escort. The tension in the air was palpable.

You learn a lot more about your partner than you would in a normal domestic situation. It’s often said that if you want to lose a partner or a friend, make a film with them. But we celebrated 30 years of marriage in February.

We used to travel together on Cliff’s filming trips before the birth of our two children. They have recently flown the nest, and we saw this trip as a celebration of the next stage of our lives.

Watch the series
Catch the series on Al Jazeera (DSTV channel 406). It begins on 10 April and runs for eight weeks.

Find out more on www.aljazeera.com/Programmes/Lifelines/. You can also follow the documentary series on twitter @AJLifelines.