Jimmy Carter’s Greatest Victory Was in the Wolf Killing Business

Former US President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100. While there are many notable moments in Carter’s life, none may be as notable as his efforts to eradicate one of the world’s most feared parasites, the Guinea worm (Guinea worm).Dracunculus medinensis).

Carter died Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia, nearly two years after she first started hospice care. Although he only served one person, often has been criticized a lotAs the 39th president of the United States, his achievements extended beyond those four years. Foremost among these successes is the success of the Carter Center Guinea worm eradication programit is now inches away from overall victory.

Guinea worm is a parasite that has been popular for so long is referred to In the Old Testament. The freshwater nematode it usually infects humans by consuming drinking water containing copepods – small crustaceans – infected with worm larvae.

The larvae reach our intestines, where they fully mature and mate. The males then die and the pregnant females – which grow to three feet (100 centimeters) long – migrate to a spot under our skin, usually along our legs. About a year after infection, women develop a blister. When this blister ruptures, the worm slowly emerges from our skin, causing a painful burning sensation that prompts the infected to cool their wounds at the nearest water source. The female then starts the whole process over by releasing thousands of larvae into the water.

This infection is not only unpleasant to suffer – it is often downright debilitating. Safe and painless removal of the worm can take days or weeks, during which time people cannot work or go to school. And if the worm breaks off during removal, it can lead to secondary infections and eventually permanent disability.

Although freshwater sanitation reduced Guinea worm disease from a global problem by the end of the 20th century, approximately 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia still contract these infections each year. In the 1980s. In 1986, Carter’s nonprofit organization, the Carter Center, launched a public health campaign to eradicate the guinea worm. And it happened is a clear success. A total of 14 human cases of Guinea worm infection were reported last year; It was there as of November 7 cases in total In 2024.

Carter and his organization certainly don’t deserve all the credit. The World Health Organization and other major groups have also played an important role, while community leaders and residents in endemic areas are driving eradication efforts on the ground. Since there is no vaccine or medicine for Guinea worm, the eradication campaign has relied mainly on physical interventions. durable straws filter out infected copepods from drinking water, as well as strictly monitor potential cases.

Not everything went smoothly for the campaign. The guinea worm was an appropriate candidate for eradication because worms primarily rely on human hosts to reach their full life cycle. For a long time, we thought that only humans could act this last link in the chain, but ten years ago it was discovered that this species can also mature inside other animals. especially dogs. Thus, although annual human events have remained low in recent years, there are thousands annual infections in animals have been reported in the past decade.

This latest development has hindered the Guinea worm eradication schedule. In both humans and animals, the worm can persist until infections reach zero and remain zero for several years. But health workers and communities in endemic areas are adapting. Annual reported animal cases recently dropped from 886 cases in 2023 to 448 so far this year, indicating that efforts on the ground are reducing the spread of the parasite among pet owners.

Jimmy Carter said he hopes to see him in 2015 Guinea worm was completely eradicated before his death. Unfortunately, this did not happen. But Carter undoubtedly left a monumental public health legacy that will continue long after his death.