Onchocerciasis, commonly known as River Blindness, is caused by parasitic worms transmitted to humans by biting flies.
Blindness often results when the larvae reach the eyes.
Today, River Blindness has virtually been eliminated as a public health problem and people are returning to the land in great numbers. Repopulation of these areas has been so rapid that measures are needed to conserve the already fragile ecosystems of the river valley. The Onchocerciasis Control Programme was launched in 1974. As a result of the intensive effort, about 25 million hectares of fertile land have been freed from River Blindness, which was both a major public health problem and an impediment to socio-economic development. The Ouagadougou workshop, which will produce a Global Strategy Statement and a Plan of Action, will prepare the ground for measures to assure the sustainable development of areas freed from Onchocerciasis.