HOW DOES THE BLACK FLY SPREAD LIVER BLINDNESS AND WHICH REGIONS ARE AFFECTED?
River blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, is spread from person to person by bites from a black fly scientifically known as Simulium damnosum. It is a parasitic infection that causes an eye disease that often causes permanent blindness. Symptoms of the disease also include rashes, severe itching, and skin discoloration.
Black flies feed on human blood and breed in fast flowing rivers. When a person is bitten by a black fly, it injects a wormlike parasite Onchocerca volvulus into the person. The worms multiply in the victim, and adult worms form nodules under the skin. The more black flies bite a person, the more parasites are injected into the body. They produce millions of young worms that produce more nodules on his head, knees, buttocks, and haunches, making a person look older than his age. When parasites reach the eyes and die in the cornea, an opaque sport develops and causes permanent blindness. Although the disease does not kill, it devastates communities. The condition is common in Yemen, Mexico, tropical Africa, Central and South America.
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