Fighting River Blindness in Uganda
alunhill -
16,954 views
- 4 months ago
In poor remote communities in the tropics, river blindness (Onchocerciasis) affects 18 million people, 99% of these in Africa. Victims become infected by parasitic worms, which are transmitted by black flies along fast-flowing rivers.
This disease spreads through the body and causes blindness and severe skin rashes. The nation of Uganda has made major commitments to fight this disease in conjunction with The Carter Center in Atlanta. Together, their goal is to completely rid the rivers of these parasites.
Ugandan health authorities have issued a mass treatment program using the drug Mectizan, which kills immature worms in body and relieves itching and halts blindness.
The government is also attacking the black flies that transmit the disease by injecting insecticides into the rivers to destroy the larva that grow on crabs.
For now, the outlook for river blindness is very bright, and there is an opportunity to completely eliminate the parasite.
This disease spreads through the body and causes blindness and severe skin rashes. The nation of Uganda has made major commitments to fight this disease in conjunction with The Carter Center in Atlanta. Together, their goal is to completely rid the rivers of these parasites.
Ugandan health authorities have issued a mass treatment program using the drug Mectizan, which kills immature worms in body and relieves itching and halts blindness.
The government is also attacking the black flies that transmit the disease by injecting insecticides into the rivers to destroy the larva that grow on crabs.
For now, the outlook for river blindness is very bright, and there is an opportunity to completely eliminate the parasite.
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