Definition

1. Noun:
   • A tropical disease: "River blindness" is the common name for a specific parasitic disease. It is caused by infection with a type of slender, threadlike worm. The disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blackflies that breed in fast-flowing rivers. A major symptom is severe itching of the skin. When the parasite larvae migrate to the eyes, the resulting inflammation can lead to permanent blindness.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The World Health Organization has programs to control and eliminate river blindness.
  • Communities living near rivers are often at high risk for river blindness.
  • The drug ivermectin is used to treat and prevent river blindness.

Advanced Usage

• "Onchocerciasis": This is the formal medical and scientific term for "river blindness."
  • Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease.

Variants and Related Words

• Onchocerciasis (n): The medical term for river blindness.
• Onchocerca volvulus (n): The scientific name of the parasitic worm that causes the disease.
• Blackfly / Simulium (n): The type of fly that transmits the parasite.

Synonyms

• Onchocerciasis: The direct technical synonym.

Related Phrases

• Neglected tropical disease (NTD): River blindness is classified within this group of diseases.
  • As a neglected tropical disease, river blindness primarily affects populations in poverty.

Noun

1. infestation with slender threadlike roundworms (filaria) deposited under the skin by the bite of black fleas; when the eyes are involved it can result in blindness; common in Africa and tropical America