Venezuela deploys medical teams to Amazonas to fight river blindness

Venezuela's Ministry of Health announced it has deployed medical teams to 14 indigenous communities in Amazonas state, working with the Amazon Center for Research (SA-CAICET), to eradicate onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. The initiative targets the Yanomami and Ye'kwana ethnic groups and aims to strengthen local health networks Source: EFE via Infobae. The ministry stated the deployment will reach 944 people, though it did not specify the number of confirmed cases Source: El Nacional.

Strategy

The plan combines immediate distribution of essential medicines with continuous medical evaluations, "ensuring epidemiological control where traditional services do not usually reach" Source: Diario Libre. It also includes a rapid-response protocol with air bridges from La Esmeralda base to Puerto Ayacucho airport for emergencies or specialized cases Source: El Nacional.

Context

Onchocerciasis is a parasitic infection transmitted by black fly bites, causing severe skin conditions and visual impairment that can lead to blindness. It primarily affects rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen, with smaller endemic foci in Latin America Source: EFE via Infobae. The WHO has certified five countries as free of onchocerciasis: Colombia (2013), Ecuador (2014), Mexico (2015), Guatemala (2016), and Niger (2025). Venezuela, like some African countries, had previously suspended mass drug administration in at least one area Source: Diario Libre.