The ministries of health in Brazil and Venezuela and a coalition led by The Carter Center’s Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA) truly go the extra mile to deliver Mectizan to the Yanomami communities who live deep in the Amazonian jungle.
An estimated 35,000 people inhabit the Yanomami Focus Area (YFA) along the border between Brazil and Venezuela—the last endemic focus in the Americas.
Gallery
All photos by Oscar Noya Alarcón
These remote communities are most easily reached by helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft—however, health workers also travel by boat and on foot, for weeks at a time, to deliver Mectizan and other health services. The journey is dangerous. Health workers face violence at the hands of illegal gold miners and dangerous wildlife during the arduous trek in the rainforest.
The ministries of health in Brazil and Venezuela work closely with indigenous health agents (IHA) to deliver biannual Mectizan and other primary health care interventions. Collaboration between the two countries is key as the focus is on the border. The entire focus on both sides must be clear of river blindness transmission before Brazil and Venezuela can be verified by WHO for eliminating the disease. Crossborder collaboration between both countries will also help ensure the target of 85% treatment coverage for the entire focus is achieved; a critical target for reaching elimination.
In 2023 MDP approved 84,104 Mectizan treatments for distribution twice a year in 2024 and 2025 in the YFA. Despite setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, coverage is on the rise. According to the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record, 37 high-priority communities in the focus achieved 95% coverage in the first quarter and 86% coverage in the second.
The Mectizan Donation Program thanks the ministries of health, the health workers, and other partners for their commitment to eliminating this disease from the Americas.