World Bank and Merck & Co., Inc., Announce US$50 Million Funding Initiative to Eliminate River Blindness in Africa

December 4, 2007 – The World Bank and Merck & Co., Inc., today announced 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.