Niger becomes first African country to eliminate onchocerciasis

Niamey, Jan 31
Niger's Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs Garba Hakimi officially declared at a ceremony that the country is free of onchocerciasis.

With this landmark achievement, Niger becomes the first country in Africa to eradicate this disease, which had particularly impacted populations living near certain waterways, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) congratulated Niger on achieving the standard required to eliminate onchocerciasis.

Niger is recognised as the fifth country in the world, the first in Africa, to have successfully halted the transmission of the parasite Onchocerca volvulus.

The other four countries that have reached this milestone are all located in the Americas: Colombia (2013), Ecuador (2014), Guatemala (2016), and Mexico (2015).

Hakimi on Thursday expressed gratitude for the efforts made over the past 15 years, which provided the scientific evidence necessary for the disease's elimination in the country.

Casimir Manengu, the resident representative of the WHO, commended Niger's commitment and leadership that enabled this remarkable achievement.

"I congratulate Niger on its dedication to freeing its population from this blinding and stigmatising disease, which causes immense suffering among the poorest communities," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"This success stands as further evidence of the significant progress we have made in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. By demonstrating that elimination is possible, it offers hope to other countries still battling onchocerciasis today."

Onchocerciasis is the second neglected tropical disease to be eliminated in Niger, which was certified to have interrupted the transmission of dracunculiasis in 2013 by the WHO.

Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a parasitic disease and is the second leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, after trachoma. It is transmitted to humans through the bites of infective black flies, primarily found in riverine areas. The disease primarily affects rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen, with smaller endemic areas found in parts of Latin America.

Between 1976 and 1989, under the umbrella of the WHO Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP), Niger undertook vector control measures by spraying insecticides that significantly decreased levels of onchocerciasis transmission.