Onchocerciasis: The Last Challenge

The elimination of onchocerciasis at the border of Brazil and Venezuela

Imagine not being able to see the sun’s light, the blue sky, or the road home. That is the reality for people with onchocerciasis, a neglected disease that causes skin and eye lesions that, if not treated in time, can cause blindness. Latin America is a world example in the fight against this disease. Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico have already eliminated onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. The yanomami territory in Brazil and Venezuela is the last stronghold for eliminating this disease in the region.

Elimination Initiatives

Keep
the attention of the topic of the neglected infectious diseases to a high political level and among the priorities of the ministries of health.

Conserve and strengthen
alliances at all levels by improving coordination and planning with strategic partners and allies.

Advance
in the development and local implementation of action plans for the control and elimination of neglected infectious diseases.

Supervise and evaluate
the progress of plans, programs and related projects of the countries.

Monitor and evaluate
progress towards control and elimination goals through the use of appropriate tools such as impact evaluation.

Identify and Disseminate
those actions and best practices to be implemented during the post-elimination phase to protect achievements and detect the re-emergence of diseases.

Onchocerciasis: The Curse of the Xawara.

Postcards for Social Media

Download the postcards for social networks by clicking on the images, you will find the suggested text with its hashtags in each link.

El territorio yanomami, compartido por Brasil y Venezuela, es el último reducto para eliminar esta enfermedad.

The Yanomami territory shared by Brazil and Venezuela, is the last stronghold to eliminate this disease.

"Los yanomami llaman "Xawara" a las enfermedades infecciosas."

Yanomami call infectious diseases "Xawara".

Las poblaciones indígenas nómadas yanomami que transitan libremente por la zona fronteriza entre Brasil y Venezuela son las afectadas por la oncocercosis.

Yanomami nomadic indigenous populations that transit freely in the border area between Brazil and Venezuela are those affected by onchocerciasis.

Médicos, enfermeros y técnicos de laboratorio, entre otros, viajan en avión cada mes para atender a la población indígena y prevenirla de diversas enfermedades.

Doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians, among others, travel by air each month to attend to the indigenous population and prevent it from various diseases.

Su asistencia sanitaria tiene un alto coste operativo desde el punto de vista logístico.

Your health care is logistically high operating cost.

El tratamiento antiparasitario se administra a unos 20.000 Yanomami entre 2 y 4 veces al año.

Antiparasitic treatment is administered to about 20,000 Yanomami 2 to 4 times a year.

El coste financiero de utilizar aviones y gasolina es muy alto, el Ministerio de Salud brasileño dedica 26 millones de reales o 6.760.000 dólares cada año sólo a horas de vuelo, ya que es la única forma de acceder a este lugar tan remoto.

The financial cost of using airplanes and gasoline is very high, the Brazilian Ministry of Health dedicates R $ 26 million or US $ 6,760,000 every year only in flight hours, since it is the only way to access this place so remote.