2014 will mark the end of the dreaded worm.

No, not Smaug the Magnificent. And no, not Rodman the Ridiculous.

We’re talking about Dracunculus, the Dragon Worm, known more commonly as Guinea worm. Way back in 1982, when Jimmy Carter established the Carter Center, he made as one of its objectives the eradication of Guinea worm disease. Guinea worm is a nasty nematode that enters humans through dirty drinking water, grows up to 3 feet long, and finally erupts through the skin in a viciously painful blister.  The only way to treat it is to cut open the blister, coax the worm to wrap itself around a small stick, and slowly draw it out over several weeks. It’s a horrifyingly painful method that dates all the way back to antiquity. Guinea worm is referenced in the bible as “the fiery serpent.” And the treatment method may be the inspiration for the symbol of the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius. You’ve seen it on medical packaging all your life: the snake wrapped around a stick.

(And now a short detour on symbolism you may have heard before. A SINGLE snake wrapped around a stick represents Asclepius, god of medicine. TWO snakes wrapped around a stick is called the Caduceus of Hermes, the god of information and commerce. Both symbols have been widely adopted by the medical community. But, tellingly, most providers and organizations that are focused on patient care go with one snake, while enterprises focused on profit, like pharma and insurance companies, go with two snakes. Hmm…)

At any rate, the dreaded “single snake” has been a nasty foe of humanity for a very long time. But this week, Carter shared the happy news that, after decades of education and the establishment of clean water sources across Africa and Asia, the disease has been nearly eradicated. In 2013, there were only 148 reported cases, and they all occurred within the war-torn nation of the South Sudan and several neighboring countries. Compare that to when the Carter Center started its work, there were approximately 3.5 million cases across 21 countries.

The Worm is waning, Dranunculus will soon be dead. This will make Guinea worm the first major disease eradicated since smallpox met its end in 1977. It’s great news for millions of people across Africa and Asia.

And for Carter, who turns 90 this year, it will fulfill his dream of eradicating the worm in his lifetime.