After his presidency, Jimmy Carter made eradicating Guinea worm disease top mission

Jimmy Carter spent nearly four decades waging war to eliminate an ancient parasite plaguing the world’s poorest people.

Rarely fatal but searingly painful and debilitating, Guinea worm disease infects people who drink water tainted with larvae that grow inside the body into worms as much as 3 -feet-long.

Only 14 human cases were reported across four African nations in 2023 , according to The Carter Center .

The former U.S. president led the fight against Guinea worm in Africa .

Carter 's fundraising enabled the center to pour $500 million into fighting the disease.

He persuaded manufacturers to donate larvicide as well as nylon cloth and specially made drinking straws to filter water.

The campaign became a model for confronting a broader range of neglected tropical diseases.

“ The Carter Center is committed to this, obviously, no matter what.” Bynum reported from Savannah , Georgia . Support Provided By: Learn more Support PBS News: Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm..