Thanks to an in-kind donation, Â鶹´«Ã½ has published a new mobile application, "Guinea Worm: Countdown to Zero," which allows users to track the progress of the Center's Guinea Worm Eradication Program. The free Android app, developed by Big Nerd Ranch, features news and information, ways to get involved, and photographs from the field. But most important, the app allows users to count down the remaining number of cases of Guinea worm disease left in the world.
How widespread is the problem? In 1986, an estimated 3.5 million people a year in Africa and Asia were afflicted with Guinea worm disease, a painful parasitic infection acquired by drinking contaminated water. Today, thanks to the work of Â鶹´«Ã½ and its partners — including the countries themselves — the incidence of Guinea worm disease has been reduced by more than 99.9 percent to 148 cases in 2013.
"As we near the finish line in this eradication campaign, Â鶹´«Ã½ and its partners remain committed to ending the devastating suffering caused by Guinea worm disease, recognizing that the final cases of any eradication campaign are the most challenging and most expensive to wipe out," said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and founder of Â鶹´«Ã½.
The "Countdown to Zero" app keeps users up to date on the Â鶹´«Ã½'s effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease with the latest statistics, headlines, and information.
The free app, available for download via the , was created by software developers Galvin Butler, Christian Keur, Thomas Ward, and Stafford Brooke during Big Nerd Ranch's Clash of the Coders, an annual hackathon established to foster creativity and sharpen skills. Established in 2001, Big Nerd Ranch specializes in mobile app development and training for programmers. At this time, the app is only available for Android.
Guinea worm disease is poised to become the second human disease in history, after smallpox, to be eradicated and the first to be eradicated without the use of a vaccine or medicine. The end of this debilitating disease is in sight. Download the app and join the countdown.
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