Niger Eliminates Onchocerciasis : Niger has become the first African country to be completely free from 'Onchocerciasis' which causes blindness. On Thursday, WHO congratulated Niger for taking necessary steps to eliminate this disease. 

Niger Disease News : Niger's Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs Garba Hakimi officially announced the country's onchocerciasis-free status. With this historic achievement, Niger has become the first country in Africa to eliminate the disease, which had particularly affected populations living near certain waterways, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) congratulated Niger for taking the necessary steps to eliminate onchocerciasis. Niger is believed to be the fifth country in the world and the first in Africa to have successfully stopped the transmission of the parasite Onchocerca volvulus.

Before this, 4 countries of America achieved success

The other four countries to reach this milestone are from the Americas: Colombia (2013), Ecuador (2014), Guatemala (2016), and Mexico (2015). Hakimi on Thursday thanked the efforts made over the past 15 years, which provided the scientific evidence needed to eliminate the disease in the country.

WHO praises Niger's commitment and leadership

WHO Representative Casimir Manengue praised Niger's commitment and leadership. "I congratulate Niger on eliminating a blinding and stigmatizing disease that causes enormous suffering for the poor," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "This success is further evidence of the significant progress we have made in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. This achievement gives hope to other countries struggling with onchocerciasis," he added. Onchocerciasis is the second neglected tropical disease to be eliminated in Niger, which was certified by WHO in 2013 for interrupting the transmission of dracunculiasis. 

River Blindness

Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a parasitic disease and is the second-largest infectious cause of blindness worldwide after trachoma. It is transmitted to humans primarily by the bite of infectious black flies found in riverine areas. The disease mainly affects rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen, while small endemic areas are found in parts of Latin America. Between 1976 and 1989, under the WHO Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP) in West Africa, Niger implemented vector control measures by spraying insecticides, which significantly reduced the level of onchocerciasis transmission.

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