The Carter Center was founded by former President Jimmy Carter, who, along with his wife, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, still plays and active role in the work of the Center. The Carter Center is engaged in many different humanitarian programs but one of the most successful is the campaign to eradicate guinea worm.
Guinea worm is a parasitic disease that affects people in only 6 countries of the world now. In the mid 1980s, three and a half million people were infected but, through the direct action taken by the Carter Center and its program, there were only around 5000 cases in 2008. There are hopes that, with a final, staunch effort by local village volunteers that there will be no cases after 2009.
If there are not, and then no cases arise in the next three years, guinea worm disease will be considered eradicated from the Earth. It will become only the second infectious disease ever to be eradicated (smallpox being the first). |
