It is with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Jimmy Carter. We send our deepest condolences to the Carter family, as well as our friends at The Carter Centre at this time.
As the tributes and outpouring of love have shown, Jimmy Carter was an incredible human being who dedicated his life to improving the lives of others. He was known for his passion, kindness, and commitment to making a difference.
Amongst his most outstanding contribution to humanity was his commitment, through The Carter Centre, to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), especially the eradication of Guinea worm disease.
No other President in the history of the world has dedicated their life to this neglected area in global health the way President Carter did. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), as the name implies, are diseases of the neglected. They are diseases which debilitate, disfigure and can be fatal. They cause immeasurable suffering. By most commonly affecting some of the most vulnerable people in the world – who often live in remote communities – NTDs create cycles of poverty, rob people of the opportunity to live healthy lives, and cost developing nations billions of dollars every year.
It is for this reason that President Carter made it his life mission to ensure diseases such as river blindness, trachoma and elephantiasis were eliminated. He wanted to see Guinea worm disease gone and consigned to the history books. And he was winning! In 1986, there were 3.5 million reported cases of Guinea worm disease in 21 countries. At the time of President Carter’s death, there had been a 99.99% reduction in global human cases! River blindness has virtually been eliminated from the Americas with Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Guatemala verified by the World Health Organization as having achieved elimination. The Yanomami area in the Amazon region, shared by Brazil and Venezuela, remains the only area in the Americas. African countries are also reporting tremendous progress in the fight against river blindness.
As a tireless and dedicated champion, President Carter will be missed tremendously by the NTD community.
We urge all our friends and partners world over, in honour of President Carter, to finish the job he started by supporting efforts to end NTDs. There can be no better tribute to Jimmy Carter than to continue his passion and commitment to tackle NTDs.
As the Uniting to Combat NTDs Secretariat and Board, we reaffirm our commitment to ending NTDs.
The Uniting to Combat NTDs Secretariat and Board