Onchocerciasis eliminated in Niger, WHO confirms

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has congratulated the government of Niger on attaining a significant milestone in global health. Niger has become the fifth nation worldwide and the first in Africa to be recognised by the WHO for its achievement in halting the transmission of the parasite Onchocerca volvulus. In addition, the country has met the stringent criteria for eliminating onchocerciasis. Onchocerciasis, more commonly referred to as river blindness, is a parasitic disease and the second most prevalent infectious cause of blindness worldwide after trachoma. It is classified as a neglected tropical disease (NTD). Key factors contributing to the eradication of the disease were mass drug administration of Ivermectin and Albendazole from 2008 to 2019 and vector control with insecticides, followed by entomological and epidemiological surveys, which showed a drastic reduction in the incidence of the disease from around 60% to 0.02%. This achievement was facilitated by the implementation of the WHO Onchocercosis Control Programme for West Africa (OCP), which was made possible by a partnership between the Government of Niger, the WHO, and NGOs. This partnership facilitated the mobilisation of the necessary resources and technical support. Niger is one of four countries that have been certified onchocerciasis-free by the WHO: Colombia (2013), Ecuador (2014), Guatemala (2016) and Mexico (2015).