Ep 71 Onchocerciasis/River Blindness: So many mysteries

This Podcast Will Kill You

Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

Health & Fitness, Science

4.8 • 17.1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 April 2021

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this classic TPWKY episode we travel down rivers and into worm-laden nodes as we take a look at the complex world of Onchocerca volvulus, the vector-borne parasite that causes river blindness. Join us as we learn why the name ‘river blindness’ captures only one dimension of the devastation caused by this parasite, how the short evolutionary history of this worm is at once surprising and enlightening, and why grasping the disease ecology of this system has been crucial in successful control efforts. As a bonus, if you tune in, you’ll get to hear how on earth The J. Geils Band fits into this story and the integral role that dog digestion has played in the history of this parasite. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:42.2	It just went completely white.
0:44.8	This is how Fisherman, Akoyo Osumaka, describes going blind in 2011
0:50.4	in the remote village of Babagulu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
0:54.4	It was a slow creeping blindness that began a year earlier.
0:58.8	It robbed him of his livelihood and threw his family life into disarray.
1:03.2	Tragically, Akoyo had once fought against the disease that eventually robbed him of his site
1:08.8	by volunteering to distribute drugs that helped prevent transmission of river blindness.
1:13.3	The River Onaune runs through Babagulu and is a perfect breeding ground for the black flies
1:18.9	that swarm through the village, infecting people with filerial worms that cause river blindness.
1:23.8	Yes, Akoyo is one of the many living in the village with a disease.
1:28.4	Community leaders think that up to 3% of the community is blind.
	...

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