Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease caused by the filarial worm Onchocerca volvulus, transmitted by blackflies. Its adult worms and migrating larvae can cause severe skin disease and vision loss.

Onchocerca volvulus: A filarial nematode whose adult worms live in human tissues and whose larvae can damage skin and eyes. This is the parasite whose development and migration produce onchocerciasis.
Mass drug administration: The delivery of medicines to an entire at-risk population, often without testing each person first. Repeated community-wide ivermectin treatment is the main strategy for suppressing onchocerciasis transmission.
River blindness: The vision loss caused by ocular disease associated with Onchocerca volvulus infection. This familiar name captures the disease's most feared outcome.
Onchocerca volvulus discovery: The identification of Onchocerca volvulus as the parasite responsible for human onchocerciasis. Recognizing the worm established the cause of a disease previously described through its symptoms.
Simulium: A genus of blackflies whose females take blood meals and transmit Onchocerca volvulus larvae. Blackflies in this genus pass infective larvae between human hosts.
Onchocerciasis control: Public-health measures that reduce Onchocerca volvulus infection through treatment, surveillance, and vector control. The disease's long-lived adult worms require sustained population-level programs.
Onchocercal dermatitis: Inflammatory skin disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae in the skin. Itching, rash, and skin changes are common manifestations of the infection.
Onchocerciasis Control Programme: A World Health Organization program that used insecticide spraying and other measures to control onchocerciasis in West Africa. Its regional campaign helped establish large-scale blackfly control as a disease intervention.
Microfilaria: The first-stage larva of a filarial nematode, released by adult females and circulating or migrating through host tissues. These larvae move through skin and eyes, causing much of the disease's damage.
Onchocerciasis elimination: The interruption of local Onchocerca volvulus transmission so infections no longer arise in a defined area. Programs assess whether repeated interventions have stopped transmission, rather than merely reducing symptoms.

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