Jimmy Carter Closes in on Decades-Long Goal: Guinea Worm Eradication

When cancer cells had invaded Jimmy Carter’s body in 2015, another target was atop the former president’s mind: a pale, stringy worm that was sickening people in remote parts of Africa.

During an Atlanta press conference to discuss Carter’s cancer diagnosis at the time, one reporter asked what he wanted out of life’s last chapter. One of his wishes, he said, was to see the Guinea worm disease finally be eradicated.