River Blindness

River blindness also called as Onchocerciasis, is an infectious disease caused by the

parasitic worm named Onchocerca volvulus. This disease has been the second-most common
cause of blindness due to infection after trachoma (1). There are more than eighteen million
people in the World that are affected by this disease. Most of the cases are found in Africa.

Cause

The disease is caused and transmitted in humans by the bite of black fly (simulium
species). These flies are found and breed fast flowing streams and rivers and thus increasing the
risk of disease in nearby areas. The disease is named “river blindness” after the reason that its
transmission factor is found near rivers. These flies transmit larvae that ultimately turn into
adult filarae (2). The adult female worm (macrofilaria) produces thousands of baby or larval
worms within the human body which migrate in the skin and the eye.

Symptoms

It may take years for symptoms to show up in this disease. The following are the major
symptoms of river blindness:

1. Rashes on skin
2. Itching on skin
3. Appearance of bumps under the skin
4. The loss of elasticity of skin
5. Itching in eyes
6. Light sensitivity
7. Loss of vision
8. Changes in skin pigmentation
Diagnosis

There are many ways to diagnose this disease. The first way is clinical in which doctors
analyze the skin to identify the nodules. The alternative way is the skin patch test using a drug
diethylcarbamazine (DEC), called Mazzotti test (2).

Cure/ Treatment

The most common treatment used for river blindness is ivermectin. It is thought to be
directly effective against the larval microfilae stage of Onchocerca volvulus (3). Mixodectin is
also used for people over age of 11 years in United States. It’s multiple dose safety is still
unclear (4).

Preventions

The distribution of onchocerciasis is related to the distribution of flies that is naturally

found near the fast running streams, this is why this disease is found more in Africa. As there is
no vaccine available for river blindness yet, so it is best to prevent by avoiding being bitten by
blackflies. For this purpose, people there should wear long sleeves and use insect repellant.

References

1. Dewey, John (1944) [1916]. Democracy and Education. The Free Press. pp. 1–4. ISBN
978-0-684-83631-7.
2. Article 13 of the United Nations' 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights recognizes a universal right to education. ICESCR, Article 13.1
3. Educate. Etymonline.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-21.
4. Assmann, Jan (2002). The Mind of Egypt: History and Meaning in the Time of the
Pharaohs. p. 127.
5. "Plato". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2002.
6. Geoffrey Blainey; A Very Short History of the World; Penguin Books, 2004
7. "Why Is Confucius Still Relevant Today? His Sound Bites Hold Up". 25 March 2015.
Retrieved 6 October 2018.
8. Colin, Ernesto (2014). Indigenous Education through Dance and Ceremony: A Mexica
Palimpsest. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-349-47094-5.
9. León-Portilla, Miguel (2012). Aztec Thought and Culture: A Study of the Ancient Nahuatl
Mind. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 134–35. ISBN 978-0-8061-0569-7.
10. Reagan, Timothy (2005). Non-Western Educational Traditions: Alternative Approaches
to Educational Thought and Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Publishers. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-8058-4857-1.