River Blindness
River blindness, or Onchocerciasis, affects almost 40 million people — most of them in Africa. It is the world’s second leading cause of preventable blindness. Samuel Loewenberg traveled to the East African country of Tanzania in 2009 to look at efforts to eradicate river blindness.
African rivers are a source of life, but worryingly, they are also a source of disease. Black flies that infect the river carry parasitic worms, which form nodules under the skin before reproducing millions of offspring, causing catastrophic results for its victims. "In this particular village, the only source of water is this river." Says Dr Kabuka "They need water, for washing themselves and for washing their clothes." The World Health Organisation is now relying on community-based programs to help the people in the river villages of Tanzania.
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