Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect roughly 700 million people in Africa, with devastating health consequences — often impairing vision and worsening living conditions. These include schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and lymphatic filariasis.
Onchocerciasis: a cause of irreversible blindness
Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is caused by parasitic worms transmitted through black fly bites. It can lead to severe itching, skin disease, and irreversible blindness. The disease often occurs alongside other NTDs such as lymphatic filariasis and schistosomiasis, and affects 220 million people across Africa.
OPC’s work
Our goals are to reduce the burden of onchocerciasis and other NTDs through mass antibiotic treatment campaigns, prevent blindness caused by these diseases, and improve quality of life for affected communities.
- We conduct epidemiological surveys to identify areas where onchocerciasis and other NTDs are endemic.
- We carry out mass treatment with antiparasitic drugs such as ivermectin to control and treat these diseases.
- We run health education campaigns to raise awareness about prevention and treatment.
All of these efforts are carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Health in each country to support national needs and priorities.
Dr. Mahamat Dicko, coordinator of Chad’s national blindness prevention program, shares his experience: “In 2022, after years of setbacks due to conflict around Lake Chad, we were finally able to complete baseline trachoma surveys. This swampy area is hard to reach, and we had to use canoes to get to remote villages. In 2023, we organized an azithromycin distribution campaign that reached thousands of people. Thanks to the involvement of religious leaders and prior awareness efforts, the population understood the benefits of this broad-spectrum treatment. We hope to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem within three years.
