AFRICA-HEALTH: RIVER BLINDNESS ON THE RUN
YAMOUSSOUKRO, COTE D'IVOIRE, Dic 02 (IPS) - THE DEVASTATING DISEASE OF RIVER BLINDNESS IS NO LONGER THE PUBLIC HEALTH SCOURGE IT ONCE WAS IN AFRICA.
THE DISEASE IS ON THE RUN THANKS TO A CONTROL PROGRAMME FUNDED BY THE WORLD BANK.
RIVER BLINDNESS, CAUSED BY A PARASITE CALLED 'ONCHOCRECA VOLVULUS', USED TO BE FOUND IN A BROAD SWATHE OF AFRICA RUNNING ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY FROM SENEGAL IN THE WEST TO ETHIOPIA IN THE EAST AND THEN SOUTH TO ANGOLA AND MALAWI.
THE HARDEST HIT ZONE IS IN THE BASIN OF THE VOLTA RIVER -- COVERING PARTS OF BENIN, BURKINA FASO, COTE D'IVOIRE, GHANA, MALI, NIGER AND TOGO. IT PROVIDES THE DISEASES CARRIER, A TINY BLACKFLY, WITH IDEAL PLACES TO LAY ITS EGGS.
DR. IBRAHIM SAMBA HAS BEEN THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE 20 YEAR-OLD SEVEN NATION 'ONCHOCERCIASIS CONTROL PROGRAMME' (OCP) BASED IN BURKINA FASO.
HE BELIEVES "ONCHOCERCIASIS HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY REMOVED FROM THE ORIGINAL SEVEN OCP COUNTRIES".
ACCORDING TO SAMBA: "PERHAPS, THE MOST GRATIFYING ACHIEVEMENT IS THAT NINE MILLION CHILDREN BORN WITHIN THE ORIGINAL OCP (GUINEA, GUINEA-BISSAU, SENEGAL AND SIERRA LEONE WERE INCLUDED IN 1986) HAVE BEEN SPARED THE RISK OF ONCHOCERCAL BLINDNESS."
CONFIRMING THE SUCCESS, A RECENT WORLD BANK REPORT, WRITTEN BY DAVID WIGG AND FORWARDED BY FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER, SAYS THE 430.7- MILLION-DOLLAR-PROJECT HAS BEEN A MAJOR SUCCESS STORY IN A CONTINENT RAVAGED BY WAR, FAMINE AND DROUGHT.
BY 1992, IT SAYS, MORE THAN 30 MILLION PEOPLE WERE PROTECTED FROM THE DEBILITATING DISEASE. ABOUT 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE WHO WERE SERIOUSLY INFECTED HAVE FULLY RECOVERED, AND ITS ESTIMATED THAT 150,000 HAVE BEEN SAVED FROM GOING BLIND.
THE RIVER VALLEYS -- AROUND 25 MILLION HACTARES OF ARABLE LAND -- ARE OPENING UP AGAIN FOR NEW SETTLEMENT.
"THE FEAR OF THE DISEASE WAS SO INTENSE THAT VILLAGERS ALONG RIVER BASIN ABANDONED THEIR HABITAT TO AVOID FALLING VICTIMS", ACCORDING TO A RECENT WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) REPORT.
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