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Indigenous people living in remote rainforests will be targeted in a new drive to eliminate river blindness from the Americas.
The campaign has been funded thanks to a partnership between the Carter Centre and Abu Dhabi’s Global Institute for Disease Elimination (Glide), an initiative organised by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The charities aim to eliminate two neglected diseases: river blindness in the Americas and elephantiasis in Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
River blindness is caused by the bite of a black fly that has been infected by a parasitic worm. The symptoms include intense itching, a rash, and visual impairment, which can potentially lead to permanent blindness.