“Onchocerciasis is caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus and transmitted through the bites of blackflies (Simulium spp.). Adult worms live in subcutaneous nodules, where the females release millions of microfilariae (first-stage larvae, L1) that migrate through the skin and eyes, causing intense itching, disfiguring skin disease and, after prolonged exposure, visual impairment and irreversible blindness. Early exposure to infection in childhood has also been associated with onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy…
In 2025, 255.7 million people required PC for onchocerciasis, of whom 180.3 million were treated, representing 70.5% global coverage, the highest number of people ever treated for onchocerciasis in a single year.”
