Onchocerciasis

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness and Robles disease, is a disease caused by infection with the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus. Symptoms include severe itching, bumps under the skin, and blindness. It is the second most common cause of blindness due to infection, after trachoma.

The parasite worm is spread by the bites of a black fly of the Simulium type. Usually many bites are required before infection occurs. These flies live near rivers, hence the name of the disease. Once inside a person, the worms create larvae that make their way out to the skin. Here they can infect the next black fly that bites the person. There are a number of ways to make the diagnosis including: placing a biopsy of the skin in normal saline and watching for the larva to come out, looking in the eye for larvae, and looking within the bumps under the skin for adult worms.

A vaccine against the disease does not exist. Prevention is by avoiding being bitten by flies. This may include the use of insect repellent and proper clothing. Other efforts include those to decrease the fly population by spraying insecticides. Efforts to eradicate the disease by treating entire groups of people twice a year is ongoing in a number of areas of the world. Treatment of those infected is with the medication ivermectin every six to twelve months. This treatment kills the larva but not the adult worms. The medication doxycycline, which kills an associated bacterium called Wolbachia, appears to weaken the worms and is recommended by some as well. Removal of the lumps under the skin by surgery may also be done.

Craw

Craw may refer to:

Craw (surname)

Craw is an English habitational name that arrived in Britain with Anglo-Saxon tribes. Residents of the village Cronkshaw in the county of Lancashire adopted Craw as their surname.

List of persons with the surname

References

Craw (band)

Craw were an independent band from Cleveland, Ohio, USA. They belonged to the harder-edged branch of the math rock or post hardcore movement, in the same category as bands such as Colossamite, Keelhaul, Zeni Geva, Dazzling Killmen, and Ruins.

History

Craw were an underground band from Cleveland, Ohio, initially active from 1988 through 2002. From 1993 through 2002, craw released four full-length albums.

Formed at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, the group originally consisted of David McClelland and Rockie Brockway on guitars, and Chris Apanius on bass. Vocalist Joe McTighe and drummer Lori Davis joined soon after, and in 1990, that lineup recorded a self-titled demo. In the fall of 1990, Lori Davis left the group and was replaced by Neil Chastain. The new lineup recorded a second demo, Celephais, as well as several singles and the band's first, self-titled album. Apanius and Chastain left the group in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and were replaced by Zak Dieringer and Will Scharf.