Guinea worm disease is on the threshold of becoming the second disease to be eradicated in human history and would be the only disease to be eradicated without the use of drugs or vaccines.

The last mile of eliminating Guinea worm disease may prove to be the most difficult. Since 2015, the number of cases has fluctuated between 15 and 30, and the emergence of infections in dogs presents new challenges related to transmission and contamination of water sources. Achieving eradication of Guinea worm disease will require a sustained commitment from donors and partners to bring the number of cases to zero.

5
countries

remain endemic: Angola, Chad, South Sudan, Mali and Ethiopia

15
cases

of Guinea worm disease reported in 2021

99%
decrease

in the number of Guinea worm disease cases since 1985

Photo by The Carter Center / Louise Gubb

Since 1986, The Carter Center has been leading an international campaign to eradicate Guinea worm disease. In 1990, the UAE’s late founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan made a personal donation of US$ 5.77 Million to The Carter Center’s efforts. Sheikh Zayed’s donation began a decades-long commitment by the UAE’s ruling family to disease eradication. Since 2012, the ruling family has donated an additional US$ 15 Million to The Carter Center’s Guinea Worm Disease Eradication Program.

    1. 80 Million cases of Guinea worm disease prevented*
    2. 23,000 African villages receiving health education and treatment

*Prevented by the Guinea Worm Disease Eradication Program, administered by The Carter Center and funded in part by the UAE