What is river blindness?
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| The Marigo river, Mali, where river blindness was once rife © Caroline Irby / Sightsavers |
River blindness (onchocerciasis) is caused by a worm that breeds in fast-flowing rivers. It is a major cause of blindness in west and central Africa. Sightsavers is combating it with the drug Mectizan®.
The facts about river blindness
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around 18 million people are infected, of whom roughly 300,000 are irreversibly blind
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99 per cent of those with river blindness live in Africa
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a further 125 million people are currently at risk from infection
Symptoms of river blindness
As well as causing blindness, river blindness creates nodules on the skin and severe itching. This results in damage to the pigment and over time the skin becomes mottled. This causes further problems because the de-pigmented spots are more susceptible to skin cancer.
Impact of river blindness
River blindness is endemic in certain areas. This has two important social implications:
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children miss out on education because they are staying at home to act as full-time carers for older relatives who have become blind
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people flee areas where the level of infection has hit hard, leaving 'ghost villages' behind. Unfortunately these infected areas are the ones with the most fertile land, closest to the river.
Find out more about:
River blindness in Nigeria gallery
Photo gallery about how Sightsavers treats river blindness in Nigeria
Keeping their village healthy
Martins Dantawaye and Jerry Sunday are helping to keep their village healthy. The two young men live in Iri village, in northern Nigeria, which lies on the banks of the river Kunu.
Statistics
Working with partners last year, we helped to:
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Treat over 15.7 million people for potentially blinding conditions
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Carry out 217,054 cataract operation
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Train 48,731 primary eye care workers
Related Information
- It costs just 31p to prevent blindness from two of its biggest causes: river blindness and trachoma
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