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River Blindness Photo Essay

A young girl carries water from a river known to be infested with flies that cause river blindness. Ungwaku 1, Kajura District, in Kaduna State Nigeria Kate Holt/IRIN
A young girl carries water from a river known to be infested with flies that cause river blindness in Kaduna state, Nigeria
    KADUNA
    Some 27 million people in Nigeria need treatment for river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, according to NGO Sight Savers. The disease is spread through the bite of a black simulium fly, which breeds in fast-flowing water. However, if at-risk people take the drug ivermectin, also known as Mectizan, annually for 15-17 years, the infection cycle is broken for life, according to the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control. NGOs Sightsavers and Helen Keller International have been working for years in northern Nigeria to try to eliminate the risks this disease poses to local inhabitants.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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