Reducing river blindness and lymphatic filariasis

How did the programme work?

One of the unfortunate outcomes of the diseases is that people are forced to move away from fertile river valleys, where these NTDs are prevalent, which means they struggle to find suitable areas to grow crops or farm. This pushes families and communities into poverty, which is both a cause and consequence of the poor health caused by the conditions.

While river blindness is transmitted by the black fly and LF is transmitted by the mosquito, both are caused by an infection of the filarial worm that can be treated with the same medication – Mectizan^®. By adding albendazole, a common de-worming medication, in areas where LF is present, both diseases could be successfully treated together, efficiently and cost-effectively, through mass drug administration.

Sightsavers worked in collaboration with a network of partners to reach men, women and children at risk of these two diseases, and followed the World Health Organization’s recommended coordination of river blindness and LF treatment.

By helping to eliminate these debilitating diseases, the programme aimed to develop healthy communities where children no longer struggle with the health risks posed by NTDs that were faced by their parents and grandparents.