What is river blindness?
River blindness is actually a phrase coined by our founder the late Sir John Wilson, when he travelled to West Africa in the 1950s. Its official name is onchocerciasis.
The cause of river blindness
River blindness is caused by a parasitical worm, onchocerca volvulus. The worm larvae are spread by the black simulium fly, which breed by the oxygen rich water of fast flowing rivers. The fly transmits the disease when it bites people, making those who live or work near the rivers vulnerable.
How river blindness spreads
When a black fly becomes infected, the worm larvae spread to its saliva glands. When it bites a human, these pass into the skin. Here they develop into adults and form nodules under the skin. The adults then breed, producing thousands of larvae which spread throughout the whole body. This causes intense itching, but the biggest problem occurs when the worms die; the reaction of the person's immune system causes inflammation. If this happens in the eye it can cause blindness.
If infected at birth with river blindness it is common for people to have become blind by the time they have reached their forties.
The impact of river blindness
As well as robbing people of their sight and causing unbearable itching, river blindness can have a much wider impact on the community. This includes:
- Children often miss out on education because they need to stay at home to act as full time carers for older relatives who have become blind.
- People flee areas where the level of infection has hit hard, leaving 'ghost villages' behind. Unfortunately these infected areas often have the most fertile land, as they are closest to the river.
You can click here to find out more about how we are tackling river blindness.
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