Onchocerciasis

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Niger the first African nation to eliminate onchocerciasis as a public health threat.

• As of now, WHO has verified five countries as onchocerciasis-free: Colombia (2013), Ecuador (2014), Mexico (2015), Guatemala (2016), and Niger (2025).
• Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus.
• It is transmitted through the bite of infected black flies (Simulium species).
• Symptoms include severe itching, rashes, and skin discoloration.
• The disease is prevalent in Africa and Yemen, with more than 99% of infected people living in these regions.
• The Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP), launched in 1974, utilized larvicide spraying and, from 1988 onwards, the use of ivermectin to treat infected people as a core treatment therapy.
• Ivermectin is currently the only known effective and safe drug used for mass treatments against onchocerciasis.