🎯 "He Wanted to Outlast the Last Guinea Worm"
On January 30, 2026 — exactly one year after the passing of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter — The Carter Center announced a historic milestone: only 10 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported worldwide in 2025, the lowest number ever recorded.
"President Carter always said he wanted to outlast the last Guinea worm," said Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander. "While he didn't quite get his wish, he and Mrs. Carter would be proud to know there were only 10 human cases reported in 2025. And they would remind us that the work continues until we reach zero."
📉 From 3.5 Million to 10: A 99.99% Reduction
When The Carter Center assumed leadership of the global Guinea worm eradication campaign in 1986, an estimated 3.5 million human cases occurred annually in 21 countries across Africa and Asia. Today's figure of 10 cases represents a 99.99% reduction and marks a 33% decline from the 15 cases reported in 2024.
"This campaign reflects the values that shaped my grandparents' lives — the conviction that hope, hard work, and respect for everyone can change the world. Seeing Guinea worm cases reach historic lows is one of the clearest expressions of that legacy."
Together with partners including national ministries of health, the World Health Organization, the CDC, and UNICEF, the campaign has averted more than 100 million cases of this devastating disease among the world's most marginalized and neglected populations.
😰 What Is Guinea Worm Disease?
Guinea worm (Dracunculus medinensis) is one of 21 neglected tropical diseases affecting more than 1.7 billion people worldwide. It's a waterborne parasitic infection that causes immense suffering:
- 🚰 Infection: People contract the disease by drinking water contaminated with Guinea worm larvae
- ⏳ Incubation: Approximately one year later, a meter-long, spaghetti-sized worm exits the body through a painful blister in the skin — often on the legs and feet
- 🔥 Agony: Sufferers often immerse their limbs in water to relieve the burning sensation
- ♻️ Contamination cycle: When the infected limb touches water, the worm releases larvae, contaminating the water source and continuing the cycle
- 💔 Disability: The disease causes immense suffering for individuals, families, and entire communities
"Every case is a real person we know by name. They are enduring a disease we know how to prevent," said Adam Weiss, director of the Carter Center Guinea Worm Eradication Program. "Zero is the only acceptable number, and that's why our commitment to finishing this job is unwavering."
💪 Victory Without Medicine or Vaccine
What makes this achievement even more remarkable: Guinea worm is slated to be the first parasitic disease eradicated in history and the first without a medicine or vaccine.
Instead, eradication efforts are driven by:
- 🤝 Strong partnerships between governments, NGOs, and global institutions
- 🏘️ Community-based interventions with hundreds of thousands of trained volunteers
- 📚 Health education and behavior change programs
- 🔍 Surveillance systems that investigated over 1 million case rumors in 2025 — nearly all within 24 hours
- 💰 Cash rewards for reporting cases, incentivizing early detection
🌍 Where We Are Today
In 2025, the 10 provisional human cases were distributed across:
- South Sudan: 2 cases
- Chad: 4 cases
- Ethiopia: 4 cases
Meanwhile, Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Mali reported zero human cases for the second consecutive year.
To date, the World Health Organization has certified 200 countries free of Guinea worm — only six remain uncertified.
🐕 The Animal Challenge
One unexpected complication: Guinea worms can also infect animals (particularly dogs), and eradication requires stopping infections in both humans and animals. The good news? Chad, once the epicenter for animal infections, reduced infections by 47% in 2025 — its sixth consecutive year of progress.
Researchers have developed diagnostic tests for dogs and enhanced community surveillance to guide evidence-based decision making and targeted interventions.
🌟 Global Momentum Accelerates
In May 2025, the 78th World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA78.14 to renew global commitment to accelerate Guinea worm eradication. Chad, one of the few remaining endemic countries, led the effort with support from a dozen other nations.
"The resolution underscores global recognition that eradication is achievable — and that success depends on maintaining focus even as cases become increasingly rare and geographically isolated," said Dr. Kashef Ijaz, Carter Center vice president for health programs.
🎬 New Documentary Chronicles the Fight
On October 1, 2025, the independent documentary "The President and the Dragon" was released, chronicling the decades-long fight against Guinea worm disease. Directed by Waleed Eltayeb and Ian D. Murphy, the film follows public health workers, local volunteers, and former child soldiers as they navigate treacherous terrain and active conflict zones.
The film is available on Amazon, Apple, Google Play, Tubi, Hoopla, and other platforms in more than 60 countries, with proceeds supporting the Carter Center's mission.
💫 Honoring the Legacy Builders
Just days before the announcement, Dr. William H. Foege, The Carter Center's first executive director and a pioneering force in global health, passed away on January 24, 2026. Dr. Foege was a central architect of the Center's global health work and helped eradicate smallpox — the only other human disease ever eradicated.
His tenacity and vision paved the way for Guinea worm to become the next disease to vanish.
🤲 Partners and Supporters
This historic achievement was made possible by the dedication of countless individuals and organizations, including:
- National ministries of health in affected countries
- World Health Organization
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- UNICEF
- Gates Foundation
- United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- Government of Japan
- United Arab Emirates (Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity)
- BASF Agricultural Solutions (donated ABATE® larvicide since 1990)
- LifeStraw® (donated filters since 1999)
🎯 The Final Push
"The final cases of any eradication program are the most challenging, requiring persistence, ingenuity, and the resources to work in difficult, remote, and often insecure areas," said Dr. Ijaz. "Guinea worm is no different."
But with only 10 cases left — down from 3.5 million — the finish line is in sight.
"Guinea worm causes immense suffering — not just for the individual but for their family and community as well. Every case is a real person we know by name. Zero is the only acceptable number."
✨ Why This Matters
This story isn't just about a disease — it's about what humanity can achieve when we refuse to accept that something is impossible:
- 🌍 Global cooperation works: Governments, NGOs, volunteers, and communities can accomplish the "impossible"
- 💪 Persistence pays off: 40 years of relentless effort is finally paying off
- ❤️ Marginalized communities matter: The world's most neglected populations deserve health and dignity
- 🎓 Education > medicine: Behavior change and community knowledge can be more powerful than drugs
- 🏆 Zero is possible: Eradication isn't a fantasy — it's a choice we make together
President Jimmy Carter may not have outlasted the last Guinea worm, but his legacy — and the dedication of hundreds of thousands of health workers and volunteers — ensures that the final cases will soon be history.
Ten cases left. Zero is within reach. Victory is near. 🏆