Flores 1

Montzerat Flores
Mrs.Cruz
English 5-6
29 Apr 2016
Onchocerciasis
The worlds second leading infectious disease that causes a serious case of symptoms like
depigmentation, sagginess, inflammation, irritation on the skin and visual problems that can lead
to blindness is called Onchocerciasis or as it is commonly known, river blindness, as it is a
parasitic disease that develops from the water due to a worm called Onchocerca volvulus. These
water worms can be transmitted to human through a bite of a blackfly or by direct contact with
the worms. They then can live in the human body up to ten years or more in the skin and joints
causing great pain. Since the worms happen to originate from the water, Onchocerciasis can be
common in tropical places like an island, and which is why it might be prone to be encountered
by the boys from The Lord Of The Flies, a novel by William Golding. It is important then for the
boys to know the causes and symptoms of Onchocerciasis to later know the steps in avoiding the
disease in order to prevent it from happening in the future.
There are different ways how a person can catch this disease due to the environment and
conditions they live in. The common way in which Onchocerciasis is transmitted is by a bite of
an infected blackfly.1 There is a specific type of blackflies, Simulium blackflies, who develop
and breed in flowing water. The flies itself can be contaminated with different types of diseases
therefore being around blackflies increases the chances of the boys to contract it because it is
1 "Onchocerciasis: Background, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology." 2008. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/224309-overview>

Flores 2
likely they will get bitten. Another way in which the boys can catch the disease is from one
another. They may not know it, but once someone is infected it is likely that all boys will get
infected. Once a person gets bitten by a Simulium blackfly, and the worms are in the body, the
infected person has microscopic worm larvae called microfilariae that are then passed on to
another person when a blackfly takes a blood meal or a bite of the human blood.2 Finally
Onchocerciasis can be easily contracted in country like places near rivers and streams.3 This is
because Onchocerca volvulus, the parasite that causes the diseases, lives in the water. So
swimming in dirty , unpurified water when having an open cut or wound, can be a way in which
the boys can catch the disease. Once infected when the disease it is likely that the symptoms will
soon affect the body.
Onchocerciasis affects the body in several ways mentally and of course physically. Impaired
vision is one of the symptoms. Impaired vision occurs when microfilariae migrate to the eye and
then die, causing a strong inflammatory response where inflammation occurs when tissues are
injured by bacteria, toxins, and heat.4 The damaged cells release chemicals like histamine
causing blood vessels to leak into tissues causing swelling. When more time passes the vision
becomes impaired and can lead to blindness. Another way in which it affects the body is through
the skin. When Onchocerciasis is inside the body the larvae matures into an adult and can live up

2 "WHO | Life-cycle of <i>Onchocerca volvulus</i> - World Health ..." 2008. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.who.int/apoc/onchocerciasis/lifecycle/en/>

3 "Onchocerciasis." 2009. 29 Apr. 2016

<http://www.neglecteddiseases.gov/target_diseases/onchocerciasis/>

4 "WHO | Onchocerciasis the disease and its impact." 2008. 19 May. 2016
<http://www.who.int/apoc/onchocerciasis/disease/en/>

Flores 3
to fifteen years causing the skin to become irritating.5 When having intense irritated skin, it can
lead to severe itching that can lead to peeling off of the skin. Depigmented is also most common
to occur because the body produces too little melanin, a pigment that creates skin color, leaving
the skin to look patchy. It also gives off an appearance of aging because over time dermatitis
starts to appear more making the skin look saggy due to the lost of its ability to resume to normal
shape after being stretched. Due to all these effects, depression can set in.6 It can lead to
depression because most of the effects on the body is externally and to young boys physical
appearance can affect on how they get treated by others. When having a visible symptoms of an
illness or disease it makes that person an easy target to be bullied and made fun of, making them
depressed.
In order for the boys not to get any symptoms from Onchocerciasis or feel depressed they have
to think of different ways to avoid it. One way the boys can avoid it is by not swimming in water
that looks contaminated because the host of the disease breeds in the water.7 Contaminated water
usually has a brown, greenish, unclear look to it and it is best for the boys to look around the
water to see if any dead rotting organisms have been sitting in the water for a long period of
time. Further if the boys happen to have a wound on them, the host of the disease will have an
easier way to get in the human body, swimming in places where the air is humid and the water
does not look the cleanest would not be a good idea. Another way they can reduce their chances
5 Boatin, Boakye A, and Frank O Richards. "Control of onchocerciasis." Advances in parasitology 61
(2006): 349-394.

6 Kawabata, M. "Circulating immune complexes and their possible ... - NCBI." 1983.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6874107>

7 "CDC - Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs) - Healthy ..." 2010. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/>

Flores 4
of getting the disease is by staying away from the flies. 8 By avoiding where all the flies usually
are, which is near water or dead organisms, it is least likely they will get bitten. Getting rid of
wasted food, like dead pig, is also a smart idea to reduce the appearance of the flies. Further the
boys can make protective clothing that will cover most of the skin to prevent the black flies
from biting.9 They can gather different types of material they have in the island for example,
thorns, branches, flowers, and make it into some sort of clothing.
Knowing that there is a high risk factor in catching Onchocerciasis on the island the causes,
symptoms, and steps to avoid it, can be helpful for the boys to take precautions in order for them
to know how to handle it. For example being aware that you are out in the environment where
there is no medicine and a higher chance of getting sick you need to know what types of diseases
or viruses you can encounter and know how to prevent them in order to sustain a decent time on
the island. Even though Onchocerciasis is rare in the U.S and is most common in tropical parts of
the world, there has been reports that Onchocerciasis has been found in the U.S. It is always
important to be cautions, people like travelers, women, men, adults, and children, like the boys in
the island, must remember to wear protective clothing, wear repellant or stay away from black
flies to stop the spread of the disease.

8 "Onchocerciasis." 2009. 29 Apr. 2016

<http://www.neglecteddiseases.gov/target_diseases/onchocerciasis/>

9 "CDC - Onchocerciasis - Prevention & Control." 2010. 29 Apr. 2016

<http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/onchocerciasis/prevent.html>

Flores 5
CITED WORK
Boatin, Boakye A, and Frank O Richards. "Control of onchocerciasis." Advances in parasitology
61 (2006):
349-394.
"CDC - Onchocerciasis - Prevention & Control." 2010. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/onchocerciasis/prevent.html>
"CDC - Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs) - Healthy ..." 2010. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/>
Kawabata, M. "Circulating immune complexes and their possible ... - NCBI." 1983.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6874107>
"Onchocerciasis." 2009. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.neglecteddiseases.gov/target_diseases/onchocerciasis/>
"Onchocerciasis: Background, Pathophysiology, Epidemiology." 2008. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/224309-overview>
"WHO | Life-cycle of <i>Onchocerca volvulus</i> - World Health ..." 2008. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.who.int/apoc/onchocerciasis/lifecycle/en/>
"WHO | Onchocerciasis the disease and its impact." 2008. 29 Apr. 2016
<http://www.who.int/apoc/onchocerciasis/disease/en/>