The Carter Center said Tuesday that only 13 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported worldwide last year. After decades of progress, the eradication program's director cautioned the end phase of the global effort to eradicate the parasitic disease will be "the most difficult." That's a significant drop from when former President Carter began leading the global eradication effort in 1986, when the disease infected 3.5 million people. Guinea worm affects some of the world's more vulnerable people and can be prevented by training people to filter and drink clean water. Guinea worm is poised to be the second human disease to be eradicated after smallpox, according to The Carter Center.

Source: Ethiopian News January 26, 2023 00:20 UTC