Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis Latest News

Niger becomes the first country in the African Region to eliminate onchocerciasis.

About Onchocerciasis

• Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is a disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus, a parasitic worm. 
• The parasite can spread to humans through repeated bites of infected blackflies of the Simulium species. 
• The flies breed by fast-flowing rivers and streams in certain remote, tropical, agricultural areas.
• Onchocerciasis itself isn’t contagious because it can’t spread directly from one person to another. 
• But the disease can spread when blackflies bite infected people, ingest the larvae, and then bite people who aren’t infected.
• It is common throughout sub-Saharan Africa and certain areas of Brazil and Venezuela in South America. 
• Symptoms include a potentially disfiguring skin rash and vision problems, even blindness.
• Globally, it is second only to trachoma in causing infection-related blindness.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), river blindness remains one of the most neglected tropical diseases, especially in remote and rural areas.
• Treatment: Treatment for river blindness is ivermectin, an oral antiparasitic medication.

Source: NOA

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