# Onchocerciasis control in Amazonian indigenous territories > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/onchocerciasis-control-in-amazonian-indigenous-territories > Updated: 2026-08-27T22:35:16.000Z. Sources: 8. Developments: 2. Efforts to combat onchocerciasis, or “river blindness,” are underway in the Amazonian border regions of Venezuela and Brazil. In Venezuela, the Ministry of Health has deployed medical teams to 14 indigenous communities in Amazonas state, specifically targeting the Yanomami and Ye´kwana ethnic groups. This initiative, conducted with the Amazonian Research Center, involves distributing essential drugs and establishing aerial bridges for emergency medical evacuations to Puerto Ayacucho. The deployment aims to reach 944 people to prevent the skin conditions and visual impairments caused by the parasitic infection. Simultaneously, in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory spanning the Brazilian states of Roraima and Amazonas, Brazil reported an 85.4% coverage rate for collective ivermectin treatment during the first half of 2026. This rate exceeds the World Health Organization’s 85% target for interrupting disease transmission. While the region remains the last active focus of onchocerciasis in the Americas, Brazil has not recorded cases of blindness from the disease since 2012 and aims to eliminate it as a public health problem by 2030. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-27: Brazil exceeds WHO target for onchocerciasis treatment in Yanomami territory Brazil's ivermectin treatment coverage for onchocerciasis in the Yanomami territory reached 85.4%, surpassing the WHO target to interrupt disease transmission. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brazil-exceeds-who-target-for-onchocerciasis-treatment-in-yanomami-territory ### 2026-08-22: Venezuela deploys medical teams to combat onchocerciasis in Amazonas Venezuela has deployed medical teams to 14 indigenous communities in Amazonas to combat onchocerciasis, a parasitic infection that can cause blindness, targeting the Yanomami and Ye´kwana peoples. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuela-deploys-medical-teams-to-combat-onchocerciasis-in-amazonas --- Cite as: Onchocerciasis control in Amazonian indigenous territories. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/onchocerciasis-control-in-amazonian-indigenous-territories