an infestation with filarial worms of the genus Onchocerca, common in tropical America and Africa; onchocerciasis
Word origin
[1950–55]This word is first recorded in the period 1950–55. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: conflict of interest, drip-dry, hot line, point spread, speech recognition
Examples of 'river blindness' in a sentence
river blindness
She explains to them the treatment for river blindness.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
River blindness has robbed millions of their sight.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Diseases that they hope to bring under control include river blindness and intestinal worms.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Onchocerciasis is the doctor's name for river blindness; oncho is what the nurses call it.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I've come to look at one plight in particular: river blindness, a chronic condition that potentially affects 125m people.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Filarial parasitic worms grow up to 2ft; among the diseases that they cause are riverblindness and elephantiasis.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is a blinding parasitic infection carried from one person to another by a biting blackfly.