The World Health Organisation (WHO) has validated Senegal’s elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, making it the ninth country in WHO’s African Region to have achieved the feat.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, in a statement, lauded the country for freeing its population of the disease.

He said, “This milestone is yet another sign of the remarkable progress being made against neglected tropical diseases globally and offers hope to other countries still working to eliminate trachoma.’’

Trachoma has been known in Senegal since the early 1900s and was confirmed as a major cause of blindness through surveys in the 1980s and 1990s.

Senegal joined the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma in 1998, conducted its first national survey in 2000, and completed full disease mapping by 2017 with support from the Global Trachoma Mapping Project and Tropical Data.

Trachoma control was consistently integrated into national eye health programmes – first under the National Programme for Blindness Prevention (PNLC) and later through the National Programme for the Promotion of Eye Health (PNPSO).

The country’s consistent integration of trachoma control into its national eye health programmes positioned it to significantly maintain its commitment to the elimination of the disease.

“Today we celebrate our victory against trachoma, 21 years after the one against dracunculiasis. This new milestone reminds us that our overarching goal remains a Senegal free from neglected tropical diseases. We are fully committed to this, and we are making good progress, notably against human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and onchocerciasis,” said Ibrahima Sy, Senegal’s Minister of Health and Social Action.

Senegal implemented the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy to eliminate trachoma with the support of partners, reaching 2.8 million people who needed them across 24 districts.

These activities included the provision of surgery to treat the late-blinding stage of the disease and conducting mass drug administration of azithromycin donated by Pfizer through the International Trachoma Initiative.

Similarly, public awareness campaigns were carried out to promote facial cleanliness and improvement in access to water supply and sanitation.

Trachoma is the second neglected tropical disease to be eliminated in Senegal. In 2004, the country was certified free of dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) transmission.

Senegal now joins 24 other countries that have been validated by WHO for eliminating trachoma.

The 24 countries are Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, China, Gambia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Ghana, India, Iraq, Malawi, and Mali.

The others are Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Togo, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.

These countries are part of a wider group of 57 countries that have eliminated one or more neglected tropical diseases.

WHO is supporting Senegal’s health authorities to closely monitor communities in which trachoma was previously endemic to ensure there is no resurgence of the disease.

“Trachoma has cast a shadow over communities in Senegal for more than a century. This long-awaited validation is not only a milestone for public health but a powerful tribute to the tireless dedication of frontline health workers, communities, government leaders, and partners who never gave up,” Jean-Marie Vianny Yameogo, WHO Representative in Senegal, said.

“Today, we close a chapter that began over a hundred years ago, united with pride, gratitude and resolve. WHO remains committed to supporting Senegal as the country continues to lead in sustaining this hard-earned achievement.”

Trachoma remains a public health problem in 32 countries, with an estimated 103 million people living in areas requiring interventions against the disease.

Trachoma is found mainly in the poorest and most rural areas of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, the Western Pacific and the Middle East.

WHO’s African Region is disproportionately affected by trachoma, with 93 million people living in at-risk areas in April 2024, representing 90% of the global trachoma burden.

Significant progress has been made in the fight against trachoma over the past few years, and the number of people requiring antibiotic treatment for trachoma in the African Region fell by 96 million from 189 million in 2014 to 93 million as of April 2024, representing a 51 per cent reduction.

There are currently 20 countries in WHO’s African Region that are known to require intervention for trachoma elimination.

They are Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Guinea.

The others are Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

A further three countries in the region (Botswana, Guinea-Bissau and Namibia) claim to have achieved the prevalence targets for elimination. 

(NAN)