Imagine: itching so intense that you are forced to sleep resting on your knees and elbows; the stigma of persistent rashes, skin discoloration and disfiguring protuberances under your skin.
Figure 1. River blindness (onchocerciasis) is caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. It is prevalent in 34 countries in Africa, Central and South America, and the Arabian Peninsula, and has infected at least 37 million people in Africa alone. As the name implies, one of its effects is loss of eyesight; 300,000 Africans are blind as a result. Were it not for a community-directed program of ivermectin administration, that number would continue to grow. The two daughters shown here leading their mothers in Sudan would otherwise likely have joined their parents in blindness if not for this program. Originally developed to prevent heart worm in pets and livestock, ivermectin has been donated by Merck to the World Health Organization and is showing great success in relieving untold suffering.
Photograph by Andy Crump, courtesy of the World Health Organization/TDR.
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