Onchocercal dermatitis. View of the hands of a man suffering from sowda or onchocercal dermatitis (dermatitis due to onchocerciasis). The skin on the

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Onchocercal dermatitis. View of the hands of a man suffering from sowda or onchocercal dermatitis (dermatitis due to onchocerciasis). The skin on the hand at right has become darkened and lichenified due the disease. Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is a type of filariasis caused by the infective tiny worms (microfilariae) of Onchocerca volvulus. The larvae are transmitted from person to person by biting flies which live around rivers. The larvae grow into adults which produce the tiny worms. The worms most commonly cause blindness as an result of an allergic reaction when they die in or near eye tissue. Drug treatment is effective. Photographed in Sudan.

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Size: 5008px × 3579px
Photo credit: © A. CRUMP, TDR, WHO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: blindness, condition, dermatitis, disease, disorder, filariasis, hand, healthcare, medical, medicine, onchocercal, onchocerciasis, river, sowda, world