Meet Nigeria’s human flycatchers luring bloodsucking insects in the name of science
The article discusses the role of "human flycatchers" in Nigeria's efforts to combat river blindness, a neglected tropical disease caused by black flies. Bosede Oluwaokere, a 48-year-old woman, spends six hours every Monday and Tuesday sitting near a stream, waiting for black flies to land on her exposed skin so she can capture them using a small plastic tube. This "human landing catch" method is considered the "gold standard" by the World Health Organization for collecting black flies, which breed near rivers and spread the debilitating disease onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. The article highlights how people are the best option to capture these bloodsucking insects in the name of scientific research and disease control.
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