Partnership

BASF and The Carter Center extend long-lasting partnership to include river blindness program

BASF’s Abate® larvicide has been successfully used since 1990 in The Carter Center’s health programs.

11/27/2012

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Further extending their partnership to fight neglected tropical diseases, BASF will now collaborate with The Carter Center to support the Ugandan Ministry of Health in its program to eliminate river blindness nationwide. Starting this year, Abate ® , a BASF larvicide, will be used by the national river blindness program in its effort to wipe out the debilitating parasitic disease.

“BASF is pleased to help Uganda realize its vision of eliminating river blindness nationwide”, says Dr. Egon Weinmueller, head of BASF’s public health business, “We are impressed with the country’s determination to wipe out this ancient disease and with our contribution we are excited to support Uganda, through The Carter Center, to improve the quality of life for millions.”

River blindness can cause intense itching, skin and eyesight damage, and often blindness. Spread through the bites of small black flies that breed in rapidly flowing waters along fertile riverbanks, the disease has an enormous economic impact, preventing people from working, harvesting crops, receiving an education or taking care of their children.

The use of Abate is approved by the World Health Organization and is the Ugandan government’s policy to more rapidly interrupt transmission of river blindness. Abate has also been successfully used since 1990 in the Carter Center-led international Guinea worm eradication campaign . The focus to eliminate river blindness builds upon Uganda’s 2003 success in stopping transmission of Guinea worm, a waterborne disease that is poised to be the second human disease to be eradicated in history. Since 1986, worldwide cases of Guinea worm disease have been reduced by more than 99.9 percent, from an estimated 3.5 million cases in 1986 to fewer than 600 cases so far in 2012.

Strengthening partnerships with organizations like The Carter Center is part of a broad commitment by BASF to sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. In addition to providing an integrated product portfolio to control insects that transmit diseases, the company’s 5-Pillar Public Health Action Plan actively pursues collaborative partnerships and initiatives with the international public health community and also develops innovative solutions to stop unnecessary suffering.  In addition to Abate larvicide, BASF offers a range of solutions to protect homes, health, food and water from pests.  These include malaria prevention tools such as long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets and chemicals used for indoor residual spraying of walls.