Rare tropical disease close to eradication Only 542 known cases
of Guinea worm left worldwide A rare tropical disease called
Guinea worm is closer to being eradicated, according to former
President Jimmy Carter and other experts. There are now only 542
known cases of Guinea worm left worldwide, as of 2012,
representing a 48% decrease from 2011, officials said Thursday
at a news conference. "We cannot rest until we get and contain
the very last case," said Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, affiliated with
the Carter Center in Atlanta, which has been instrumental in the
effort to wipe out Guinea worm. The World Health Organization
this week said in a report that Guinea worm, also called
dracunculiasis, has a global eradication target for the year
2015. So far, only one disease has reached the status of
worldwide eradication since 1980: smallpox. In 1986, when the
Carter Center began leading its international campaign against
Guinea worm disease, there were 3.5 million cases in 21
countries. South Sudan has the most known