But then, clever comedians can find humour in anything.

Alanta Colley has travelled to Third World countries like East Timor, Cambodia, Uganda and Kenya to work on malaria prevention and sanitation programs.

Ironically, she contracted most of the parasites she was "busy sharing knowledge on how to avoid".

She's had malaria, giardia, schistosomiasis and blastocystus hominis, among other nasties.

"I guess I'm just really fertile," she joked.

Alanta will perform her comedy show Parasites Lost at Lake Macquarie Performing Arts Centre on Friday.

"It's my personal, entirely true story of trials, tribulations, and tapeworm," she said.

"The show is an account of my experiences travelling around the world, working in remote communities on disease prevention."

It's also about some of the parasites she unintentionally caught along the way.

"I was inspired to make the show because parasites are fascinating, disgusting, wonderful and misunderstood."

She says the show - which is part of National Science Week - provides a chance to "share my adventures and misadventures as I traipsed about the globe and shine a spotlight on the microorganisms all around us".

"I was pretty gung-ho in my 20s. I wanted experiences and I roughly held onto the principle that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But it can also make you unable to digest wheat for a couple of years after that."

At times, she was quite scared, particularly when she didn't know what illness she had or whether she could get access to treatment.

"What did help was local friends. A good rule of thumb is to get treatment in the area where you contracted the disease because people in that area will know all about it," she said.

"Fear is really only to be reserved for illnesses you can't treat. If you're privileged enough to be travelling, you can probably afford medication. Not everyone is that lucky.

"I'm very glad I got to experience so many parts of the world and would do it again. And I have a strong appreciation for just how important affordable and accessible medical care is for remote and rural communities."

That aside, she said comedy was a beautiful way to "share one's experiences and confront just how ridiculous, wonderful and terrible this world can be".

"We are a fragile species, it's true. We like to pretend we're not. I don't wish pain and suffering on anyone - except maybe mining magnates - but huge events can bring out the best in humanity, too. It's amazing what people can do to help other people in times of crisis.

"I would hate to think my many mistakes could go to waste. At least they are hopefully entertaining to others."

The show starts at 6pm.

As Alanta Colley shows, humour can be found in the horrible.

We were just watching an episode of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Jerry's guest was Ricky Gervais.

Ricky told the most profound joke we've ever heard. So we thought we'd share it.

"I think this is the most interesting joke," Gervais said.

"A Holocaust survivor eventually dies of old age and goes to heaven and he meets God and he tells God a Holocaust joke. And God goes, 'that's not funny'.

"And he [the survivor] says, 'I guess you had to be there'."

It left Seinfeld in awe: "Wow. It's so layered. That's a novel in a joke".

Radio station Triple J is continuing its campaign to promote Cessnock servo's "world famous yoghurt".

In the latest development, one listener managed to pin a pamphlet on a noticeboard among beautiful mountains in Lauterbrunnen in the Swiss Alps.

Triple J's morning show with Ben and Liam is doing its best to put the 'Nock on the map. Maitland might have its fancy chocolate and coffee festival this weekend, but if you fancy some yoghurt instead, you'd best head to Cessnock.