FindHealthNews Index  |  Save/Exchange Information |  WikiWax News, Reviews, and Articles on Onchocerciasis Mansonella perstans — The Importance of an Endosymbiont  Oct 8, 2009 Filarial infections in humans include the various forms of lymphatic filariasis (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori), onchocerciasis (Onchocerca volvulus), loiasis (Loa loa), and mansonellosis (Mansonella streptocerca, M. perstans, and M. ozzardi). About 120 million people currently have lymphatic filariasis, and about 1 billion people are considered to be at risk for infection. (New England Journal of Medicine) High-level SA delegation visits Al BashirUNAMID in fresh bid to tackle root-causes of Darfur conflictUN worried about increasing LRA attacks in Southern SudanGhana beats Sudan 2-0 in 2010 World Cup qualifier CPJ condemns suspension of VOA service in PuntlandEU suspends funding to AU peacekeeping mission in SomaliaDrought, fighting force 50,000 Somalis to seek refuge in KenyaNigeria seeks change in AMISOM mandate Belgian organisation protests detention of Congolese woman, her three childrenDR Congo suspends Olympic committee chair for misappropriation3 journalists report death threats in DRCJoseph Kabila assumes chairmanship of SADC Ivorian Prime Minister urges mutinous soldiers to remain calmGbagbo: "Whoever delays Ivorian elections is a criminal"Gbagbo reaffirms his desire for Ivorian peaceGbagbo signs Ivorian amnesty law ON THE WIRE Ministers urge mobilisation of fund for epidemic response in W/AfricaOuagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - West African health ministers have called forthe mobilisation of a sub-regional fund for preparation and response to epidemicsand other disasters.    06/10/2009   Full Text...  Oct 7, 2009 In a final communiqu at the end of the ministerial meeting on integrated disea se surveillance and response strengthening, which was preceded by a three-day meeting of experts and partners, the health ministers took note of efforts by partners including the WHO, the WHO African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (WHO/APOC),UNICEF, the International Centre for Animal Husbandry Development and Research in Sub-humid Regions (CIRDES) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA),... (Panapress.com) NHIA reviews medicines list  Oct 7, 2009 He emphasised that medications for free public health services that were exempted from payment of fees such as childhood immunisations, family planning, in- patient and out-patient treatment of mental illness, treatment of Onchocerciasis, Buruli Ulcer and Trachoma; and confirmatory HIV test on AIDS were not on the list. Dispensing of all prescriptions under the scheme must be carried out by a pharmacist or under the direct supervision of a pharmacist to intervene when necessary, the NHIA... (Ghana Web, Ghana) Sudan: South At Risk From Blindness  Aug 18, 2009 The Director of Eye Health at South Sudan's health ministry, Ali Yousif Ngor, oversees the South Sudan part of an Africa-wide attempt to combat river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis (O.V). It is a disease spread by the black fly that carries larval forms of a worm parasite. (allAfrica.com) Africa: Scientist Cautions Against River Blindness Breakthrough  Aug 16, 2009 William David Taylor, coordinator of the Sustainable Control of Onchocerciasis Today and Tomorrow programme and a professor at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, says that a study published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases in July showing that long-term ivermectin treatment can halt the disease is not applicable everywhere ... Net: "This study has provided the first evidence that the parasite and transmission can be eliminated, and that treatment can be safely stopped after a long... (allAfrica.com) UGANDA: Nodding disease could be "non-epileptic disorder"  Aug 12, 2009 Because HN has so far exclusively been reported from Onchocerciasis endemic areas, the common causative agent for both phenomena may well be Onchocerca volvulus. Onchocerciasis is often called river blindness ... Q: Why did previous studies fail to find a strong statistical link between Onchocerciasis and epilepsy (in 2004 and even in 2008). (AlertNet) Uganda: Nodding Disease Or 'River Epilepsy'?  Aug 11, 2009 A likely cause of the disease is a neurological effect of the parasitic worm that causes Onchocerciasis (river blindness) ... Prof James Tumwine of Makerere University in Kampala, who participated in a WHO-sponsored investigation into the outbreak in Sudan, described the disease as a form of epilepsy linked to onchocerciasis ... "The infected children need immediate treatment for seizure and Onchocerciasis.". (allAfrica.com) Anti-Retroviral centre inaugurated in Sunyani  Aug 6, 2009 New Abirem, Aug. 5, GNA - Hordes of blackflies which are known to cause onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, have invaded both the Birim North and Akyemansa Districts of the Eastern Region. Mr. Tei Djangmah, Birim North District Director of Health Services, made this known at New Abirem during the General Meeting of the Birim North District Assembly. (Ghana Web, Ghana) Disease control hub launched in West Africa  Jul 27, 2009 The centre is expected to focus on communicable diseases, including onchocerciasis, meningitis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, otherneglected tropical diseases, emergent diseases, epidemics, and potential pandemics. When asked how the new centre will improve diagnoses and disease-tracking when there are already disease surveillance centres in Africa, the WHO director told IRIN there is not enough cross-border collaboration and only one high-level reference lab in Africa, South Africa's... (AlertNet) River blindness 'can be beaten'  Jul 22, 2009 A study by the UN's health body has shown that the disease onchocerciasis - also known as river blindness - could be wiped out using drugs. The disease causes sufferers to lose their sight and also to develop painful skin complaints. (BBC News -- Africa) Study shows elimination of river blindness feasibleGeneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The first evidence that onchocerciasis (river blindness) elimination is feasible with ivermectin treatmentwas published Tuesday in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, according to a statement from the World HealthOrganisation (WHO).    21/07/2009   Full Text...  Jul 21, 2009 Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The first evidence that onchocerciasis (river blind ness) elimination is feasible with ivermectin treatment was published Tuesday in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Disease s, according to a statement from the World Health Organisation (WHO). "This evidence is an historic milestone -- it has far-reaching implications for the fight against this disease. Prior to this study we did not know if we would ever be able to stop treatment," said Uche Amazigo,... (Panapress.com) Chad denies bombing SudanEU, AU urged to mediate in Chad-Sudan crisisSenior UN official discusses arms smuggling with Darfur governorsSouth African govt urged to take stand on Al-Bashir Kenya offers military bases to train Somali troopsUN envoy hails Somali troops' victory over IslamistsEgypt shoots dead two Somalis on Israel borderKenya's Kibaki appeals for AU intervention in Somalia Kabila dismisses about 100 civil magistrates in DRCRwanda, DRC to strengthen military cooperationKinshasa fingers 3 companies over Congo River pollutionBelgium worried by outbreak of violence in DRC Ivorian Prime Minister urges mutinous soldiers to remain calmGbagbo: "Whoever delays Ivorian elections is a criminal"Gbagbo reaffirms his desire for Ivorian peaceGbagbo signs Ivorian amnesty law ON THE WIRE CDI: Maximizing the benefits of a successful regional heath initiativeOuagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The world of public health is in continual motion especially with the global health community battlingmultiple crises, including the burden of emergent and resurgent diseases, the consequences of climate change and the global economic slowdown.    21/07/2009   Full Text...  Jul 21, 2009 The Phase I Onchocerciasis (river blindness) Control Programme (OCP), which was launched in the early 1970s, effectively brought this disabling and blinding disease under control in 11 West African countries ... in 1995, known as the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) ... Onchocerciasis is a microfilarial worm disease transmitted to humans by the black fly. (Panapress.com) Africa: River Blindness Drug Trial Launched  Jul 2, 2009 Dakar Researchers are launching a clinical trial with 1,500 people infected with onchocerciasis (river blindness) in Liberia, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo to test a remedy that could help stop transmission, according to drug manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and the World Health Organization (WHO). Onchocerciasis - transmitted through black flies that breed near rivers - is one of the leading causes of blindness in Africa, according to WHO. ... WHO estimates there are about half a... (allAfrica.com) The worm turns  Jun 19, 2009 River blindness, or onchocerciasis, is caused by a parasite that is spread from human to human by the black fly, which once flourished along river beds where there is fast-flowing water ... Dr Amazigo is the director of the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), which was set up in 1995 to eliminate river blindness as a disease of public health importance in Africa ... The project began to grow across the sub-Saharan region and when Merck announced that it was making ivermectin... (BBC News -- Africa) Abuja meeting to discuss community involvement in health service deliveryOuagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Health experts, including deans of Facultiesof Medicine and Health Sciences from 12 Africancountries, will meet in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, 9-11 June 2009 to discuss theuse of the Community-Directed Intervention (CDI) strategy inpublic health service delivery.    04/06/2009   Full Text...  Jun 5, 2009 The meeting, being co-sponsored by the Ministries of Health and Education of Nig eria and the country's National Universities Commission with World Health Organization African Programme for River Blindness (Onchocerciasis) Control (WHO /APOC), will also discuss plans to introduce the strategy into the curriculum of nursing and medical schools across the continent. The meeting is expected to produce a plan for medical and nursing schools in Afr ica to pilot the teaching of this strategy, thereby... (Panapress.com) West Africa: River Blindness Fly Makes Tasty Meal for Midges  May 15, 2009 Accra Scientists in Cameroon and Ghana have identified the first potential biological agent that could be used against the parasites that cause river blindness (onchocerciasis) ... Net that almost three decades of the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa - the largest vector control programme ever - has freed more than 25 million hectares of land in 14 countries of the disease. (allAfrica.com) 'Magic Potion' In Fly Spit May Shoo Away Blinding Eye Disease  Apr 14, 2009 Also known as onchocerciasis, river blindness affects more than 17 million people worldwide, particularly in rural Africa ... 7, 2009) Scientists report that the transmission of onchocerciasis or river blindness has been broken in Escuintla, Guatemala, one of the largest endemic areas in the Western Hemisphere to date to stop the. (Science Daily) Milestone Toward Ending River Blindness In The Western Hemisphere By 2012  Apr 7, 2009 7, 2009) An international team of researchers led by Rodrigo Gonzalez of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala reports that the transmission of onchocerciasis or river blindness has been broken in Escuintla, Guatemala, one of the largest endemic areas in the Western Hemisphere to date to stop the transmission of the parasitic disease ... In 2007, the MPHSA, together with the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA), The Carter Center, the CDC and the Universidad del Valle de... (Science Daily) Insect Spotlight: Black flies work in large groups, leave painful bites (2)  Mar 29, 2009 In addition to the effects of their bites, black flies are known vectors of many illnesses (most notably onchocerciasis), almost exclusively in more tropical areas of the world. Black flies are attracted to carbon dioxide, moisture from their victim's breath, dark colors, body heat, sweat and beauty/hygiene products. (Sioux Falls Tri-State Neighbor, SD) Sacramento Red Cross appoints exec  Feb 13, 2009 Before that, he served as executive director of the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas, a river blindness prevention program. He also has worked with Save the Children. (Sacramento Business Journal, CA) Back to FindHealthNews Home [ Terms Of Use | Privacy | About ] ©1998-2006 SurfWax, Inc. All rights reserved. Patents pending. Copyright SurfWax, Inc. 2006