Jason Beaubien

So the World Health Organization has a list of so-called neglected tropical diseases. You know, these are diseases in need of more research, more treatment. He, however, had a former employee from the White House who got involved with working on clean water. And this guy came. gave this pitch to Carter, and Carter was like, this is doable.

He was driven by this worldview of the need to ease suffering, to help the less fortunate. So taking on neglected tropical diseases that were being overlooked and ignored, this was right up his alley.

He was driven by this worldview of the need to ease suffering, to help the less fortunate. So taking on neglected tropical diseases that were being overlooked and ignored, this was right up his alley.

He was driven by this worldview of the need to ease suffering, to help the less fortunate. So taking on neglected tropical diseases that were being overlooked and ignored, this was right up his alley.

Yeah, he has. And, you know, it wasn't just him. But you have to look back. It was the mid-1980s. Carter decides to start focusing on wiping out guinea worm. At that point, the World Health Organization estimated that there were like 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease globally worldwide. Almost all of these were in really remote parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Yeah, he has. And, you know, it wasn't just him. But you have to look back. It was the mid-1980s. Carter decides to start focusing on wiping out guinea worm. At that point, the World Health Organization estimated that there were like 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease globally worldwide. Almost all of these were in really remote parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Yeah, he has. And, you know, it wasn't just him. But you have to look back. It was the mid-1980s. Carter decides to start focusing on wiping out guinea worm. At that point, the World Health Organization estimated that there were like 3.5 million cases of guinea worm disease globally worldwide. Almost all of these were in really remote parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Last year, the WHO says there were only 13, one, three cases of guinea worm globally. Wow. Yeah, pretty impressive.

Last year, the WHO says there were only 13, one, three cases of guinea worm globally. Wow. Yeah, pretty impressive.

Last year, the WHO says there were only 13, one, three cases of guinea worm globally. Wow. Yeah, pretty impressive.

It is amazing. Um, and I was talking to Paul Farmer about just how impressive this was and he gave us much of the credit to Carter.

It is amazing. Um, and I was talking to Paul Farmer about just how impressive this was and he gave us much of the credit to Carter.

It is amazing. Um, and I was talking to Paul Farmer about just how impressive this was and he gave us much of the credit to Carter.

That's right. Paul Farmer, you know, co-founder of partners in health. So the subject of Tracy Kidder's incredible book, mountains beyond mountains, uh, Farmer, like Carter, was also a crusader his entire life for health care equity around the world. And I was talking to Farmer, obviously, before Farmer died last year.

That's right. Paul Farmer, you know, co-founder of partners in health. So the subject of Tracy Kidder's incredible book, mountains beyond mountains, uh, Farmer, like Carter, was also a crusader his entire life for health care equity around the world. And I was talking to Farmer, obviously, before Farmer died last year.

That's right. Paul Farmer, you know, co-founder of partners in health. So the subject of Tracy Kidder's incredible book, mountains beyond mountains, uh, Farmer, like Carter, was also a crusader his entire life for health care equity around the world. And I was talking to Farmer, obviously, before Farmer died last year.

But Farmer was saying that in the overall history of human medicine, there hasn't been a lot of progress in entirely eradicating specific diseases.

But Farmer was saying that in the overall history of human medicine, there hasn't been a lot of progress in entirely eradicating specific diseases.

But Farmer was saying that in the overall history of human medicine, there hasn't been a lot of progress in entirely eradicating specific diseases.

That was Farmer back in 2019. So, you know, even from 2019, we've gone from a fewer than 100 down to just 13. It really is on the verge of being wiped out as we speak.