{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T00:03:52Z","timestamp":1777939432095,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2004,5,1]],"date-time":"2004-05-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1083369600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Onchocerciasis (river blindness) is a serious public health problem with important socioeconomic consequences. The presence of onchocercal skin lesions is unsightly and has a psychosocial effect on the affected.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>This cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess the perception and social implication of onchocerciasis in the village of Apana in Nigeria. Apana is a rural community, hyper-endemic for onchocerciasis and currently receiving ivermectin treatment. The village is one of the ten communities of Uzairue district of Etsako West Local Government Area (LGA), Edo State, Nigeria. There are many water streams in the community which serve the domestic needs of the inhabitants but also provide the breeding sites for the vector flies of onchocerciasis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <jats:p>Multi-stage sampling methods were used to select the 385 respondents that participated after informed consent was obtained. A structured researcher-administered questionnaire was the tool for data collection. Of the 385 respondents that participated in the survey, 240 (62.3%) were male while 145 (37.7%) were female. The awareness of the disease among the respondents was fair. They were aware of the nuisance value of blackflies (\u2018Uja-ini\u2019) and associated the bite with itching. The signs and symptoms of onchocerciasis were recognised as specific diseases with specific local names. They called itching and rashes \u2018Erhue\u2019, nodules and leopard skin \u2018Evbiomu-Ogui\u2019, worm in the eye \u2018Okogho-Ikpalo\u2019 and blindness \u2018Orunalo\u2019. The attitude of the non-affected towards the affected was partially discriminatory and suspicious. The affected were socially withdrawn, probably due to the frustration of their health condition. There is a need to improve people\u2019s attitude towards the disease and improve disease awareness through appropriate health education, which will encourage the acceptance of ivermectin as adequate treatment and compliance to the treatment regimen to reduce morbidity and promote self-esteem.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/146642400412400315","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,11,9]],"date-time":"2005-11-09T20:57:56Z","timestamp":1131569876000},"page":"134-136","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Psychosocial effects of river blindness in a rural community in Nigeria"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"124","author":[{"given":"V A","family":"Wagbatsoma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, College of Medical                         Sciences, University Of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria,"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"O H","family":"Okojie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, College of Medical                         Sciences, University Of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2004,5,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"atypb1","volume-title":"Tropical Disease Research: Progress 1995-1996. XIII Program Report of the UNDP\/World Bank\/UNDP Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases","author":"World Health Organization","year":"1997"},{"key":"atypb2","first-page":"55","author":"World Health Organization","year":"1998","journal-title":"TDR News"},{"issue":"5","key":"atypb3","first-page":"295","volume":"72","author":"Okello DD","year":"1995","journal-title":"East Afr Med J"},{"issue":"10","key":"atypb4","first-page":"649","volume":"72","author":"Ovuga EB","year":"1995","journal-title":"East Afr Med J"},{"issue":"5","key":"atypb5","first-page":"322","volume":"46","author":"Amazigo UO.","year":"1994","journal-title":"Trop Geogr Med"},{"issue":"7","key":"atypb6","first-page":"449","volume":"72","author":"Ovuga EB","year":"1995","journal-title":"East Afr Med J"},{"key":"atypb7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0277-9536(99)00389-5"},{"issue":"3","key":"atypb8","first-page":"96","volume":"4","author":"Asuzu MC","year":"1997","journal-title":"Niger Postgrad Med J"},{"key":"atypb9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0277-9536(98)00007-0"},{"key":"atypb10","volume-title":"The Nigerian Society for Parasitology, 22nd Annual Conference","author":"Nwoke BEB"},{"key":"atypb11","volume-title":"Federal Ministry of Health and Social Services. Revised Nation Plan of Action for the Control of Onchocerciasis (river blindness) in Nigeria 1997-2001","author":"National Onchocerciasis Control Programme","year":"1996"},{"issue":"2","key":"atypb12","first-page":"153","volume":"36","author":"Nwoke BEB","year":"1992","journal-title":"J Hyg Epidemiol Microbiol Immunol"},{"issue":"4","key":"atypb13","first-page":"341","volume":"45","author":"Johnston K","year":"1994","journal-title":"Trop Med Parasitol"},{"key":"atypb14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.1998.59.227"},{"key":"atypb15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0035-9203(87)90163-5"},{"key":"atypb16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0169-4758(88)90077-4"},{"key":"atypb17","first-page":"3","volume":"14","author":"Edungbola LD","year":"1993","journal-title":"Niger J Parasitol"},{"key":"atypb18","first-page":"7","volume":"5","author":"Nwoke BEB","year":"1994","journal-title":"Niger J Parasitol"},{"key":"atypb19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00034989859519"}],"container-title":["Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/146642400412400315","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/146642400412400315","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T05:16:01Z","timestamp":1777698961000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/146642400412400315"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]},"references-count":19,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/146642400412400315"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/146642400412400315","relation":{},"ISSN":["1466-4240"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1466-4240","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2004,5]]}}}