"Jimmy Carter Closes In On Decades-Long Goal: Eradicating Guinea Worm"

"Former president has played pivotal role in fight against neglected tropical diseases."

"When cancer cells had invaded Jimmy Carter’s body in 2015, another target was atop the former president’s mind: a pale, stringy worm that was sickening people in remote parts of Africa.

During an Atlanta press conference to discuss Carter’s cancer diagnosis at the time, one reporter asked what he wanted out of life’s last chapter. One of his wishes, he said, was to see the Guinea worm disease finally be eradicated.

At one point in his life, Carter’s answer may have seemed unlikely for a Georgia peanut farmer who became governor and then president.

But Carter, who turns 99 Sunday, dedicated much of the last four decades to eliminating neglected tropical diseases in impoverished parts of the world. As Carter rests in hospice at his modest ranch-style home in Plains, he’s incredibly close to achieving his Guinea worm goal."

Katherine Landergan reports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution September 28, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"Guinea Worm Case Totals" (Carter Center)

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/03/2023