CHAART Sensor Evaluation: Onchocerciasis (River Blindness)

Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) Characteristics

Infectious agent: Onchocerca volvulus (nematode)

Vector: Simulium genus (blackflies); larvae usually develop in swift-flowing streams, so habitat often found in steep, narrow gorges in the Americas; larvae also in artificial waterways

Reservoir: Humans

Occurrence

Onchocerciasis Distribution
Global mean AVHRR-derived NDVI image for 1987

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1999. Health Information for International Travel 1999-2000. DHHS, Atlanta, GA.

Isselbacher, K.J., J.B Martin, E. Braunwald, A.S. Fauci, J.D. Wilson, D.L. Kasper (eds). 1994. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 13th Ed. McGraw-Hill, Inc.

Tierney, L.M., Jr., S.J. McPhee, M.A. Papadakis (eds). 1996. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. 35th Ed. Appleton and Lange, Stamford, CT.

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Last updated: 26 Jun 1998