Progress report on the elimination of human onchocerciasis, 2015–2016

Overview

 

Human onchocerciasis is 1 of 5 neglected tropical diseases amenable to preventative chemotherapy (PC-NTDs). The disease results from infection with the filarial nematode, Onchocerca volvulus, which is transmitted by the bites of blackflies of the genus Simulium. Transmission of the parasite occurs in 3 of WHO’s regions: the African Region, the Region of the Americas and the Eastern Mediterranean Region. An estimated 187 million people live in areas where there is potential for transmission of the parasite; this number may increase as areas of low transmission are mapped. Infection with the parasite can result in blindness, decreased vision, and skin disease, all of which can be disabling. The most recent estimates of the burden of the disease suggest that 1.1 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were lost in 2015 due to onchocerciasis. Both the eye disease and the skin disease have been associated with a decrease in productivity.