#river blindness

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Better Bait

River blindness, characterised by itchy skin rashes as well as visual impairment, is caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus, transmitted to humans through the bites of black flies. The disease is a major public health concern in tropical parts of Africa, and to monitor the parasite’s prevalence or study its transmission, scientists need to collect the flies. The photo shows some new apparatus being tested for that purpose. Sixteen versions of this trap were trialed across Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi and Mozambique. They all provided two substances irresistible to the flies – carbon dioxide and the scent of human sweat (either organic or synthetic) – with those versions combining yeast-produced carbon dioxide with pre-worn socks being the most effective. Until now, the only recommended trapping technique was to use an actual person sitting by a river as bait. The yeast-sock combo is thus a cheap, convenient, not to mention safer option.

Written by Ruth Williams

Image by Louise Hamill, Sightsavers Director for Onchocerciasis

Sightsavers in partnership with the Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) and ministries of health in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi and Mozambique

Image originally published with no restrictions – hence published here with as Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene

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A historic milestone! WHO verifies Niger free of onchocerciasis as the first country on the African continent

Congratulations to Niger – the country has been verified by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating transmission of onchocercia

Niger is the first country in Africa to be declared free of onchocerciasis, a parasitic disease caused by the Onchocerca volvulus worm, transmitted through the bites of infected black flies. Niger has been significantly impacted by this disease, affecting communities primarily along riverbanks of fast-flowing rivers where these flies breed, hence the disease is also known as river blindness.  Robust commitment and a strong national elimination programme have enabled Niger to achieve this goal.

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River Blindness

River blindness (onchocerciasis) is a filarial disease and the second most common cause of infective blindness in the world. It is caused by Onchocerca

Onchocerciasis | River blindness 

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A small child exhibits the skin lesions caused by onchocerciasis (river blindness).

Onchocerciasis is an eye and skin disease caused by a parasitic worm and transmitted by the bites of blackflies. The parasite will cause lesions and terrible itching of the skin and eyes. Lack of treatment or repeated exposure can cause blindness and disfiguring skin diseases. Onchocerciasis is known by as “river blindness” because the blackflies that transmit it live and breed near fast-flowing bodies of water. The disease is most prevalent in Africa and South America and has been classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) - diseases that cause substantial illness for more than one billion people globally, usually the very poor and especially children – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Parasite-perverted Immunity

Nodding syndrome is a rare and poorly understood disease in which children become afflicted with characteristic head-bobbing seizures (hence the name), stunted growth and mental and physical disability. The condition was first identified in Tanzania in the 1960s, but the cause of this debilitating and distressing disease has remained a mystery. Researchers have long suspected that the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus(pictured), which also causes river blindness, might be involved because most nodding syndrome sufferers also have O. volvulus infections. New studies reveal that while the worm does not cause nodding syndrome directly, the body’s reaction to the parasite leads inadvertently to brain damage. Antibodies created by the immune system against proteins in the worm cross-react with host proteins in the brain causing cell death. The findings suggest that patients with this parasite-triggered disease may benefit from immunosuppressive therapies.

Written by Ruth Williams

Image courtesy of Dr. Thomas B. Nutman, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH

Section of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

Image copyright held by the photographer

Research published in Science Translational Medicine, February 2017

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Ivermectin, Satoshi Omura and a Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 was divided, one half jointly to William C. Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura "for their discoveries

A 40-year partnership between the WHO, the World Bank, African governments, pharmaceutical firms and over 30 development partners protects 1

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Forty Years Later: The Extraordinary River Blindness Partnership Sets its Sights on New Goals

Reminder that many Africans had been taking an annual dose of ivermectin prior to SARS-Cov-2 A 40-year partnership between the WHO, the Wor

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The Untold Story of a 'Miracle Drug'

For 35 years, ivermectin was hailed as a miracle drug. It had an incredible impact on millions of ...

Wonder drug.

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Uganda Eliminates River Blindness but Struggles With Bilharzia (Schistosomiasis)

The Health Minister, Dr Ruth Jane Aceng on Tuesday said that government is on track to eliminate river blindness burden in the country by next year but worried that they are still struggling with Bilharzia/Schistosomiasis.