Guinea worm closer to eradication as cases halve in a year by Carley Petesch And Alex Sanz, The Associated Press Posted Jan 29, 2021 6:43 am EDT Last Updated Jan 29, 2021 at 6:44 am EDT DAKAR, Senegal — Just over two dozen people in the world are infected with Guinea worm, according to a new report that says community programs are close to eradicating the disease in which a meter-long worm slowly emerges from a blister in a person’s skin. The U.S.-based Carter Center, which leads the eradication campaign, says just 27 cases were reported in 2020 in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, or half the number of cases in 2019. The centre said animal infections also showed a 20% decline.