Jimmy Carter took on the awful #GuineaWorm when no one else would — and he triumphed

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/23/1158358366/jimmy-carter-took-on-the-awful-guinea-worm-when-no-one-else-would-and-he-triumph

@petergleick had posted this article about President Carter's very successful effort to eradicate #GuineaWorm, a debilitating and painful parasitic infection caused by the nematode Dracunculus medinensis.

There is a #zooplankton connection here too because the intermediate host is the freshwater copepod Cyclops. The larvae incubate in the copepod which are then transmitted to humans (or another host) in untreated water.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/health/jimmy-carter-guinea-worm?s=09

Jimmy Carter's campaign to eradicate Guinea worm probably makes him the best ex-US prez ever. This parasite used to affect up to 3.5 million Africans each year. In 2022, there were just 13 cases.

' “We were traveling in a big motorcade [in Nigeria],” he said in 2017, " [and] elementary school children had a big sign that says, ‘Watch out, Guinea worm. Here comes Jimmy Carter.’ That was almost as good as a Nobel Prize for me.” '

#JimmyCarter #ex-presidents #GuineaWorm

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/health/jimmy-carter-guinea-worm

Guinea worm: Near-eradication of a debilitating parasitic disease is a pillar of Carter's legacy

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/health/jimmy-carter-guinea-worm/index.html

#jimmycarter #guineaworm #health #healthywater #presidentcarter #hero #habitatforhumanity

While all the good works accomplished by #JimmyCarter are memorable, Perhaps the least appreciated is the #CarterCenter effort to eliminate the #TropicalDisease of #GuineaWorm. It’s within reach of eradication, and it’s really due to his and #RosalynnCarter efforts.

https://www.grid.news/story/science/2023/02/21/jimmy-carters-real-legacy-saving-millions-of-lives-from-a-debilitating-disease/?utm_campaign=20230221_Grid%20Today&utm_content=body2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_term=morefromgrid

The successful work against #GuineaWorm needs to be better known. Going from ~3.5 million cases a year, to 13 last year, is a stunning accomplishment. My med school students know that we've gotten rid of smallpox through vaccination -- and that we're having a hard time getting rid of polio. But when I tell them about this -- educating communities for how to get rid of a horrid disease with attention and social supports -- they boggle. Thank you, #PresidentCarter #CarterCenter
@enirenberg