River Blindness. Kill or Cure, Series 2. Part 9

Description

While mosquito-borne diseases like malaria emerge from stagnant ponds and puddles, it is fast-running water, in conjunction with the blood-sucking black fly, that creates a breeding ground for river blindness. Black flies carry a microscopic nematode larva that, thanks to a penny-sized nodule under the skin, can be easily detected after it has grown and reproduced inside a human host, but not so easily defeated. This program visits an isolated village in Cameroon where river blindness has struck again and again. Despite the tragedy, the community is becoming a model for a program that distributes and tracks compliance with Mectizan, a drug that kills the young worms but must be taken for years.

Runtime

25 min

Series

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2011], c2005

Database

Films on Demand

Direct Link

Similar Films

Moderate Exercise, Anxiety, Salt and Fat, and More
Preventing Health Care-Associated Infections in Long-Term Care
Polio. Kill or Cure, Series 1. Part 8
Superbugs. When antibiotics don't work
Bio-Terrorism. Information for the Health Care Professional
The New face of leprosy. Healing bodies, opening minds
The Silent killer. SARS
Coronavirus, Lessons From Past Epidemics
Kidney Disease. Caring for Someone with a Chronic Disease
Malaria. Kill or Cure, Series 3. Part 6
Science in everyday life. Health and wellness video clips. Part 1
Allergies. Modern Life and Me
HIV & Me. Fear, ignorance, and education
Our immune system