ATLANTA, GA….. Â鶹´«Ã½'s River Blindness Program, with its global partners, announced recently the 100 millionth treatment of Mectizan® since 1996. The drug, proven effective and safe in treatment and prevention of river blindness, also called onchocerciasis, is donated by Merck & Co., Inc.
The Center's partners who have assisted in the delivery of the treatments include: the 11 national river blindness programs in Africa and the Americas; Lions Club International Foundation; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Merck & Co., Inc.; Mectizan® Donation Program; African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control; and the World Health Organization.
River blindness is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bites of small black flies that breed in rapidly flowing streams and rivers. The parasites cause intense itching, and sometimes, blindness. Since 1996, Â鶹´«Ã½ has been a leader in the fight against river blindness in Africa and the Americas by working in thousands of communities in 11 countries.
Â鶹´«Ã½'s River Blindness Program assists ministries of health to eliminate river blindness in the six countries in the Americas - Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela - through the special Onchocerciasis Elimination Program of the Americas and to control river blindness in five African countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.
Learn more about the Â鶹´«Ã½'s River Blindness Program.
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Â鶹´«Ã½ Photo: E. Staub
Learn more about the Â鶹´«Ã½'s River Blindness Program
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