PAHO and The Carter Center Collaborate to Eliminate River Blindness in the Americas
PAHO and The Carter Center join hands on the elimination of onchocerciasis across the Americas
Medical News
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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and The Carter Center have signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement to eliminate onchocerciasis, or river blindness, across the Americas by 2030. This partnership aims to enhance efforts against onchocerciasis, malaria, and lymphatic filariasis, particularly in vulnerable communities on the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
- 01The agreement was signed during the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly by PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa and The Carter Center Vice President Dr. Kashef Ijaz.
- 02Onchocerciasis, caused by a parasitic worm transmitted by blackflies, can lead to irreversible blindness and is treated with the drug ivermectin.
- 03Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico have been verified as free of onchocerciasis transmission by the World Health Organization.
- 04The remaining focus for transmission is the Yanomami Focus Area in the Amazon basin, where challenges include geographic isolation and limited health service access.
- 05The agreement aims to improve coordination, strengthen technical cooperation, and support integrated health interventions in affected communities.
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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and The Carter Center have formalized their collaboration through a Technical Cooperation Agreement aimed at eliminating onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, in the Americas by 2030. Signed during the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly by PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa and The Carter Center Vice President Dr. Kashef Ijaz, this partnership will also enhance efforts to combat malaria and lymphatic filariasis, particularly on the island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by a parasitic worm, leading to severe skin and eye damage, including blindness. Although there is no vaccine, treatment with ivermectin can halt its transmission. Significant progress has been made in the Americas, with countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico now free of transmission, while efforts continue in the Yanomami Focus Area in the Amazon basin. The agreement emphasizes regional solidarity and aims to strengthen health interventions in vulnerable communities, aligning with PAHO’s broader initiative to eliminate over 30 communicable diseases by 2030.
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This initiative will significantly improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations affected by onchocerciasis and other communicable diseases in the Americas.
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