For 30 years, scientists have fought to eliminate a horrifying parasite. Suddenly, it has begun infecting dogs in Chad, threatening to undo decades of progress.
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Childhood Trauma Instills Resiliency in Guinea Worm Warrior
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January 22, 2021
Before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a halt to large gatherings, Dr. Hubert Zirimwabagabo, in blue shirt, teaches a group of women in Chad about Guinea worm disease and what they can do to prevent it. (Photo: The Carter Center/J. Hahn)
He could have taken his advanced degrees from Boston and Fordham universities and found a comfortable, high-paying job in the United States. But Dr. Hubert Zirimwabagabo had a different goal for the early years of his career.
The Rwanda-born physician chose instead to devote his talents to public health. As the Carter Center’s country representative for Chad, in Africa’s semi-arid Sahel region, he leads a team of scientists and village volunteers battling Guinea worm, a disease of poverty, in one of its last strongholds.