When former President Jimmy Carter announced Thursday that his cancer had spread to his brain, he also revealed he had some unfinished business he wants to see through.
"I would like to see Guinea worm completely eradicated before I die," the philanthropist said. "I'd like for the last Guinea worm to die before I do."
Carter went on to explain that there are currently only 11 cases of dracunculiasis, or guinea worm disease, in the world. That's a precipitous drop from 3.5 million cases across 21 countries in 1986, when he first set out to conquer the disease through his nonprofit organization the Carter Center.
Guinea worm disease is caused by a parasite that people ingest by drinking contaminated water. In the body, the resulting guinea worm can grow up to one meter or more than three feet in length. The only way to get rid of it is to carefully pull the worm out once it starts bulging through the skin.
As Slate notes, that's an agonizing and debilitating process that can take months to recover from, and the human suffering is intense.
The disease can spread through the efforts of the afflicted to find relief. When a person drinks water contaminated with guinea worm larvae, the parasites mate and reproduce inside the abdomen. One year later, the female guinea worm grows to its full length and creates a burning lesion on the skin, which people try to soothe by soaking the affected area in water. There, the worm releases its larvae, and the cycle starts all over again.
To combat the spread of this disease, the Carter Center embarked on an educational campaign on the importance of filtering drinking water, as well as the importance of preventing people infected with the worm from submerging their lesions in bodies of water.
When Guinea worm has been eradicated, it will be only the second time in human history that a disease has been totally wiped out. The first, smallpox, was eradicated in 1977, according to the World Health Organization . Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that Guinea worm will meet the same fate — a final piece in Carter's legacy.
Jimmy Carter's Accomplishments
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Open Image ModalJimmy Carter waves before the crowd on the floor of the Democratic Convention of 1980. (Photo by CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) (credit:Historical via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter(02 of11)
Open Image ModalDemocratic Candidate for President(03 of11)
Open Image ModalIran Hostage Crisis(04 of11)
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Open Image ModalAmerican politician and US Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter holds a handful of peanuts (referencing his career as a peanut farmer) during a campaign event, Boston, Massachusetts, 1976. (Photo by Mikki Ansin/Getty Images) (credit:Mikki Ansin via Getty Images)
Iranian Hostages Released(06 of11)
Open Image ModalNobel Peace Prize Winner(07 of11)
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Open Image ModalBarbara Jordan and other prominent Democrats congratulate Jimmy Carter for his presidential nomination at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. (Photo by Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images) (credit:Owen Franken via Getty Images)
Jimmy Carter(09 of11)
Open Image Modal(10 of11)
Open Image ModalATLANTA - October 1: President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan join Former President Jimmy Carter and Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the Carter Center Presidential Center Dedication in Atlanta Georgia. October 1, 1986 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (credit:Rick Diamond via Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalATLANTA - October 1: President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan join Former President Jimmy Carter and Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter at the Carter Center Presidential Center Dedication in Atlanta Georgia. October 1, 1986 (Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images) (credit:Rick Diamond via Getty Images)
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