Brazzaville – Onchocerciasis – commonly known as river blindness – is a major public health problem in Congo. Once confined to rural communities living close to rivers and farmlands, the disease is now present in urban settings, particularly in communities located close to watercourses.
Nearly 2 million people, or around 30% of the population, are at risk of contracting onchocerciasis, which is transmitted through the bites of infected black flies. It causes intense itching, skin and eye lesions, and irreversible blindness in severe cases.
In response, the country’s National Onchocerciasis Control Programme has been implementing a variety of measures, including raising public awareness to enhance prevention as well as carrying out mass drug administration in endemic districts to curb infection.
Over the past 20 years, 18 mass drug administration campaigns have been organized in at-risk districts, with encouraging results. Community participation has improved over the years as well as trust in disease control efforts and impact on health.
With the support of partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Sightsavers and pharmaceutical companies, a drug administration campaign carried out between October and December 2024 reached nearly 700 000 people and entailed intense community mobilization thanks to training of health workers and community mobilizers. In communities where lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis, is also common, mass preventive treatment was also carried out.
“We will continue to work together to bring this disease under control. Collaboration between the local communities, health workers and our international partners is crucial if we are to achieve our goal of eliminating the disease,” says Dr Marlhand Hemilembolo, Director of the National Onchocerciasis Control Programme.
Prevention plays a central role in onchocerciasis control, as it complements the treatments administered. “I took this medicine not only to protect myself, but also to prevent my children from contracting this disease in future. Prevention is the key,” says Youlou Annie, a mother of five, who received the treatment.
Véronique, a 53-year-old farmer who lives near River Congo in the Congolese capital Brazzaville and who has been treated from a previous onchocerciasis infection, says she continues to take medication to prevent the disease from progressing to chronic complications, such as eye damage or irreversible blindness.
To reach communities such as Véronique’s during the campaigns, more than 6000 trained community distributors embarked on door-to-door visits and administration of the treatment.
“The training we received on awareness-raising, management of medicine stocks and good distribution practices, greatly improved our preparation to carry out our mission,” says Jean-Marie Saboutou, a community outreach team member in Brazzaville’s Mfilou health district. “I have been doing this work for 24 years, and above all, I’ve seen that thanks to awareness-raising, people understand the importance of protecting themselves and accept the treatment without hesitation. This was not the case a few years ago.”
Thanks to the concerted efforts and the commitment of local communities, Congo is making progress towards elimination of onchocerciasis. However, further efforts are needed to significantly reduce infection rates, including in urban areas.
“Our goal goes beyond simply reducing the threshold of infection transmission. This disease must no longer pose a threat to public health,” says Dr Vincent Sodjinou, acting WHO Representative in Congo. “We want to protect communities from this disease, treat those who suffer from it, and transform the lives of the most vulnerable people by improving their health and livelihoods.”
