Why is Jimmy Carter headed to the House of Lords?

So much for cutting back on his work load. Former President Jimmy Carter is currently in London, where he's scheduled to make a rare address in Parliament's House of Lords Wednesday afternoon. The 91-year-old Nobel Peace Prize Winner is there at the invitation of the Lord Speaker, Baroness D'Souza, to deliver a lecture on the Carter Center's long and impressive campaign to eliminate Guinea worm disease from the world. That effort is featured in "Countdown to Zero," a disease eradication exhibition opening Friday at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which Carter will help launch while he's in town.

Guinea worm disease, which is contracted from consuming contaminated water, can render people unable to work, attend school or care for themselves or their families for months at a time. When the Carter Center started its campaign in 1986, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm disease in Africa and Asia. Last month, The Carter Center reported that number was down to 22 reported cases worldwide in 2015.

“We are now close to eradicating the Guinea worm or ‘fiery serpent’, as it is known in affected areas.” Baroness D’Souza said in a statement. “It will be fascinating to hear President Carter’s experiences of taking on, and now being close to winning, the fight against an ancient disease.”