The program of Elimination of Onchocerciasis in the Americas (OEPA) It began in 1991, with the aim of eliminating the transmission of onchocerciasis, also called river blindness, from the American continent.

The Carlos Slim Foundation joined the initiative both in terms of technical capacity and resources, and in recent years has achieved the verification of the elimination by the WHO in Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and part of Venezuela.

In this way, the disease only persists in an area that is located on the border between Brazil and Venezuela, called Yanomami.