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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lizzy Davies

Guinea worm disease could be second ever human illness to be eradicated

A white guinea worm is wound around a stick as it is extracted from a patient's foot.
A guinea worm is extracted from a patient in Benin. Cases worldwide fell to just 13 in 2022. Photograph: BIOSPHOTO/Alamy

The number of cases of a painful and debilitating tropical illness fell last year to a record low, fuelling hopes that it will soon become the second human disease in history to be eradicated.

Only 13 cases of guinea worm disease were reported worldwide in 2022, a provisional figure that if confirmed would be the smallest ever documented, the US-based Carter Center has said.

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