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river blindness

American  

noun

Pathology.
  1. onchocerciasis.


river blindness British  

noun

  1. another name for onchocerciasis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of river blindness

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In addition to herbal supplements, however, some cleanses include ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug used to treat river blindness and elephantitis, which leads to the painful enlargement of body parts.

From Salon • May 18, 2025

Several serious, neglected tropical diseases in humans are caused by roundworms, including river blindness, lymphatic elephantiasis and ascariasis.

From Scientific American • Jun. 18, 2023

He made eliminating Guinea worm one of the Carter Center’s priorities, along with five other preventable diseases: river blindness, trachoma, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and malaria.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2023

Ivermectin tablets are approved for use in humans by the FDA to treat some parasitic worms, including intestinal roundworms or those that cause river blindness.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 10, 2021

It’s an anti-parasitic used to treat things like river blindness and lice in humans and, quite commonly, worms and other parasites in horses, cows, and dogs.

From Slate • Sep. 3, 2021