Not the ref who’s blind – saving the sight of the next great African footballer
Imagine for a moment if a little black fly, and not a fracture of the fourth metatarsal bone, were to put pay to Wayne Rooney’s FIFA World Cup™ chances. That’s the scenario facing the next generation of footballers in west and central Africa, particularly in Ghana and Togo, both of whose national teams are making their debut in this year’s competition.
Michael Essien and Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor are expected to shine for their respective countries in one of the greatest sporting shows on earth but some children’s dreams of growing up to be the next great African footballer are in jeopardy because of the cruel but preventable disease known as onchocerciasis, or river blindness.
It’s estimated that one million people are blind or severely visually impaired through river blindness. Another 18 million people are believed to be infected with the disease and a further 125 million are considered at risk; all bar one percent live in Africa.
But it is a disease that can be stopped and the cycle of infection broken. Sightsavers International, one of the UK’s leading blindness charities, is spearheading the drive to eradicate river blindness once and for all.
Transmitted through the bite of the black simulium fly which breeds in fast-flowing rivers, river blindness can lead to permanent loss of vision and result in terrible itching and skin complaints such as depigmented spots leaving sufferers more susceptible to skin cancer. The onset of blindness tends to affect people in their thirties and forties meaning that many children miss out on education because they are having to act as full-time carers to older relatives.
Sightsavers is combating river blindness using a drug called Mectizan®. The tablet must be taken annually for at least 20 years to break the transmission cycle of the disease. In 1987, the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. made the decision to provide the treatment free of charge to people who needed it for as long as necessary. It is now the longest running drugs donation programme in history and the very successful community-based distribution method, pioneered by Sightsavers, is being adapted to other healthcare activities in remote villages all over Africa.
Last year, the charity was able to reach more than nine million adults and three million children in West Africa at a cost of just 12 pence per person. For the price of a ticket to a FIFA World Cup™ group match (€35), Sightsavers could help protect 200 people from river blindness. For the price of the top hospitality package (€350,000), Sightsavers could treat just over 100,000 people for the 20 years that it’s necessary to take Mectizan® and spare their sight for future World Cups to come.
According to James Anewenah, Sightsavers’ country representative in Ghana: “River blindness is a disease that could – and should – be consigned to medical history. Nobody should be denied the chance to become a world class footballer or even just watch their football team because of an eye condition that can be treated.”
In 2004, Sightsavers marked the 50 millionth treatment of Mectizan® globally and is presently supporting the distribution of the tablet in 11 African countries. The distribution programme has offered hope to millions of people in some of the world’s poorest countries; people who are often excluded from the health services that they need because of prohibitive pricing and weak healthcare systems.
But there is still more that needs to be done. Donations to assist Sightsavers to achieve its goal to eliminate river blindness by the year 2020 can be made using the 24-hour donation line (0800 089 2020) or via www.sightsavers.org
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For further press information, case studies or photographs, please contact Ann Noon on 01444 446728, anoon@sightsavers.org For media enquiries out of hours, please call 07775 928253.
Notes to editors:
1. Sightsavers International is a registered UK charity (number 207544) that works in more than 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and improve life for those who will never see.
2. There are 37 million blind people in the world; 75% of all blindness can be prevented or cured.
3. Since 1950, Sightsavers has restored sight to 5.65 million people and treated more than 100 million more.
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