ONCHOCERCIASIS / RIVER BLINDNESS:
Onchocerciasis is a parasitic infection also called River Blindness because the transmission is most intense in remote African rural agricultural villages located near rapidly flowing streams. It is prevalent in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Yemen and thirty countries of Africa. Risk of infection is greater in adventure travelers, missionaries, and Peace Corps volunteers who are likely to have intense and prolonged exposure to black fly bites. 3.5 million people have gone blind because of the disease.
Cause: The disease spreads from person to person by the bite of a black fly. When a black fly bites a person who has onchocerciasis, microscopic worms (called microfilariae) in the infected person's skin enter and infect the blackfly.
Symptoms: Infected persons may be without symptoms. Those with symptoms will usually have one or more of the three manifestations; skin rash, eye lesions, and/or subcutaneous bumps under the skin. The most serious manifestation consists of lesions in the eye that can progress to blindness.
Sources
Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Onchocerciasis
Official website for Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Read more about communicable diseases in the current Monday Developments issue!
