The World Bank and Merck & Co., Inc. said they have taken an initiative to raise US $50 million to help eliminate river blindness, a leading cause of preventable blindness, in 28 African countries.

Merck has pledged up to $25 million - about half of the funding needed over the next eight years to help eliminate this public health problem which puts the health and livelihood of 100 million people at risk worldwide mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. The disease causes intense itching, disfiguring skin disease, and eye lesions that often result in permanent blindness.

The World Bank will work with Merck and other partners to raise the remaining $25 million. This $50 million in new funding will supplement the $20 million already raised by the Bank from international partners, for a total of $70 million to support the program through 2015.

"With this public-private partnership, we can eliminate river blindness in Africa, and free dangerous lands for productive agriculture to overcome poverty. On behalf of the 40,000 people who will be protected from going blind each year, I want to thank Merck, the WHO, the governments involved, and our other partners," said Robert B. Zoellick, president, World Bank.

"We are pleased to provide this pledge of funds, which augments our unwavering commitment to donate Mectizan (ivermectin) to all who need it for the treatment of river blindness until the disease is eliminated as a public health problem," said Richard T. Clark, chairman, president and CEO Merck. "No one group can tackle this disease alone. Only by harnessing the complementary skills and resources of the public and private sectors can we ensure that more than 100 million people will receive Mectizan annually. And only by harnessing our collective will can we effectively address the most pressing public health challenges of our day."

A devastating disease spread by black flies found near river banks, river blindness (onchocerciasis) has been largely eliminated in 10 of the 11 targeted West African countries under the first large-scale aerial spraying programme started by the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1974. This has enabled resettlement and cultivation on over 25 million hectares of fertile land, boosted farm productivity and rural incomes, and prevented 600,000 people from going blind.

Merck joined the fight to eliminate the disease in 1987 by announcing it would donate its medicine Mectizan, the only well-tolerated drug known to halt the development of river blindness, for as long as necessary. In 1995, the World Bank together with the WHO, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foundations and other donors established the African Program for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) to oversee successful delivery of Mectizan through community-directed treatment programs in the 19 non West African countries affected by river blindness. WHO is the executing agent of APOC, while the World Bank manages the APOC multidonor trust fund.

"The river blindness program in partnership with African Countries is helping to roll back a serious threat to health and development, as well as strengthen health delivery systems through increased community participation and ownership," said Obiageli Ezekwesili, Vice President for Africa, World Bank.

The announcement coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Mectizan Donation Program. To date, the program has donated more than 530 million doses of Mectizan, valued at some $2.7 billion. Recognized for its unparalleled success, the program - the longest-running medicine donation commitment in history - currently reaches approximately 70 million people each year for the treatment of river blindness.

APOC and its partners have pioneered an innovative community-based delivery strategy through which 350,000 trained community volunteers distribute Mectizan and other health services such as insecticide-treated bed nets for malaria control to 120,000 remote communities.

This new funding pledge will enable APOC to continue to expand community-directed treatment (CDTI) programs thereby strengthening overall health care infrastructures in the 28 African countries where CDTI programs currently exist.

By 2015, this funding will also enable CDTI projects to co-implement at least one other health intervention in addition to Mectizan delivery and help countries and their partners to improve health care by expanding other health programs to hard-to-reach communities using CDTI.

Since 2002, the World Bank has devoted US $ 4.7 billion to health, making it one of the largest single financiers in this field. In addition to working with partners on disease specific programs such as river blindness, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, the bank, through its recent strategy for health, nutrition, and population, is also helping client countries strengthen their national health systems to improve pro-poor health services delivery and develop sustainable disease control strategies.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck currently discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs.