River blindness persists in Africa | GlobalPost

Health officials battle to combat 'forgotten disease' that leaves many villagers blind.

By Samuel Loewenberg - Special to GlobalPost

Published: May 1, 2009 08:47 ET

MNGAZI, Tanzania — A man with clouded eyes sits on the ground next to a wattle and daube hut in the riverside village of Mngazi. His five children mill around and his wife tends a pot over a wooden fire. He used to be a corn farmer, but then his eyes started itching three years ago.

Now, he is totally blind and cannot work. He does not know what happened, nor is he the only villager whose vision began to disappear. He said he went to a witchdoctor, but it did not help.

The man's blindness is not a result of magic, but a small worm that invaded his body. He is one of 37 million people worldwide, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, suffering from onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness.

Read more... River blindness persists in Africa | GlobalPost