Guinea worm disease has been prevalent in African and Asian populations since antiquity. But according to Jimmy Carter, the disease may be on the verge of being eradicated. The former US president has pioneered a global effort to fight Dracunculiasis, or Guinea worm disease through his work with the Carter Center, a foundation he and his wife, Rosalind, established for fighting disease and promoting human rights.

Jimmy Carter lauded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for offering $40 million to execute the final stages of the eradication campaign. The former president also announced that Guinea worm disease would be eradicated within two years. This would make the disease the second one that has been eradicated by human beings. The first disease to be wiped out was smallpox, which met its demise during Carter's presidency.

Guinea worm is a disease that afflicts the poorest of the poor. People who live in areas with poor sanitation and minimal access to primary health care are often the victims of the worm. A roundworm parasite called Dracunculus medinensis, whose larvae dwell in microscopic water fleas causes the disease. People contract the disease when they drink unfiltered water harboring larvae-infected fleas. These larvae burrow into the intestinal tissue and reproduce. The resulting worms migrate through the body tissues towards the skin. This takes nearly a year and by this time, the worm resembles a giant spaghetti noodle measuring as long as two or three feet. Victims of the disease sometimes see the worm moving beneath their skin as it prepares to break the surface. The worm eventually pushes its way out of the skin, causing an excruciating burning sensation.

The Carter Center in collaboration with local governments and international health organizations, has helped bring the number of infections from 3.5 million in 1986 to fewer than 5,000 cases today. This is approximately a 99.7% decline. The number of African and Asian countries afflicted by the Guinea worm has come down to 5 from 20.