ABSTRACT
Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP) initial method for controlling onchocerciasis has been to break the cycle of transmission by eliminating the black fly. Onchocerciasis is the world’s second leading infectious cause of blindness, and is present in 35 countries of Africa, the Arabian peninsula and the Americas. Apart from its health impact, onchocerciasis has an important socio-economic impact in view of the crippling effect of the disease causing a loss of productivity. Building on OCP’s success, African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) was launched in 1995. Since its inception, APOC management has been set up at the OCP headquarters in Ouagadougou and National Onchocerciasis Task Forces have been created in 14 countries. The successful onchocerciasis vector control activities have opened up an estimated 25 million hectares of fertile riverine land for resettlement and cultivation, land which was previously deserted for fear of the disease.
