Blantyre Institute for Community Outreach (BICO) is actively contributing to the elimination of onchocerciasis (river blindness) in Malawi through large-scale community health interventions and awareness programs. Onchocerciasis is a parasitic eye and skin disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus, transmitted through repeated bites from infected blackflies that breed near fast-flowing rivers, often affecting rural farming communities.
The disease presents with symptoms such as severe itching, skin nodules, eye irritation, and, in advanced cases, visual impairment or blindness, as well as characteristic skin changes known as “leopard skin.” The World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritized onchocerciasis under its Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) roadmap, targeting elimination by 2030.
In Malawi, BICO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and with support from ASCEND, is implementing a Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign aimed at reaching over 2 million people. The program targets eight endemic districts: Blantyre, Thyolo, Neno, Chikwawa, Mwanza, Chiradzulu, Phalombe, and Mulanje, using Ivermectin to prevent and control the disease.
Currently, BICO teams are conducting field trainings and supervising community censuses to ensure effective planning and delivery of the MDA campaign across all targeted districts.
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