How Jimmy Carter Saved Millions of Lives

Jimmy Carter celebrated his 96th birthday on October 1, 2020. This article celebrates one of Carter’s greatest achievements — one that was made after he left politics and does not get the attention it deserves.

In 1986, Carter declared war on a disease called dracunculiasis, which is caused by an insidious parasite known as the Guinea worm. The Guinea worm once threatened millions of people, especially children, in twenty-one countries in Africa and Asia.

People become infected when they drink water contaminated with water fleas…