COUNTDOWN TO ZERO: Defeating Disease is presented by the American Museum of Natural History in collaboration with The Carter Center .

What if you could put an end to a painful or deadly disease? If you could ensure that no one would ever suffer from it again? The goal of wiping out every single case of a disease is ambitious and the challenges are enormous—but the potential benefits are even greater.

To date we’ve eradicated only one human disease: smallpox. But dedicated health workers around the globe are closing in on others. Guinea worm disease and polio, which once afflicted millions, could soon be gone for good. And efforts are underway to wipe out malaria, river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis.