Onchocerciasis-river blindness

River blindness is caused by Onchocerca volvulus, filarial nematode worms that are transmitted by the bite of an infected blackfly. Around 198 million people live in regions at risk of river blindness, as of 2016. Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease which is still of immense major public health concern in several areas of Africa and the Americas.

The flies transmit juvenile worms, or microfilariae, into the host, which can cause severe itching, disfiguring skin lesions, and impaired vision – all symptoms that cause immense suffering. Repeated infection causes eye disease that can lead to blindness.

Highly pruritic, papular dermatitis; subcutaneous nodules; lymphadenitis; and ocular lesions, which can progress to visual loss and blindness. Symptoms begin after patent infections are established, which may take 18 months. Symptoms in travelers are primarily dermatologic (rash and pruritus) and may occur years after departure from endemic areas. Subcutaneous nodules are more common in endemic populations.

River blindness affects people living in mostly remote and underserved rural communities in some of the poorest areas of the world. It can cause irreversible blindness and severe skin disease in those who have very little to start with and making them poorer.

Onchocerciasis-river blindness