By Palma Ileye
Nigeria has recorded significant progress in its efforts to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, achieving about 87 per cent of its target, with only 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) remaining before the country attains elimination status, the Chairman of the National Trachoma Task Force, Professor Adamu Mohammed, has said.
Mohammed disclosed this yesterday during the AcceleraTE Trachoma Elimination Programme Learning Event organised by Sightsavers in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoHSW) and development partners to review progress, share lessons and strengthen collaboration towards eliminating the disease.
He explained that the National Trachoma Task Force provides technical guidance and monitors implementation in line with international standards, working closely with the Federal Ministry of Health, State governments and partners to oversee mass drug administration (MDA), trachoma surgeries and other interventions aimed at achieving Nigeria’s 2030 elimination target.
According to him, Borno State currently bears the highest burden of the disease, with insecurity limiting access to seven endemic LGAs and slowing intervention efforts.
Also speaking, the Country Trachoma Coordinator for Sightsavers, Dr. Mshelia Teyil, said the AcceleraTE Trachoma Elimination Programme, launched in 2018 with Accelerator Funding, has significantly advanced Nigeria’s fight against trachoma through the implementation of the World Health Organization’s SAFE strategy—Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement.
Teyil said more than 60,000 trachoma trichiasis surgeries have been conducted across 195 LGAs, while nearly 29 million doses of azithromycin have been distributed to prevent blindness caused by the disease.
She added that the programme has completed 174 trachoma surveys, trained more than 50,000 community case finders, introduced digital tools for patient tracking and strengthened collaboration with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector to improve hygiene practices and reduce disease transmission.
She, however, identified insecurity and population displacement as major obstacles to eliminating trachoma in the remaining endemic communities, noting that Sightsavers was working with State governments, security agencies and partners to ensure displaced and hard-to-reach populations continue to receive treatment and essential eye care services.
Dr. Teyil further announced that Bauchi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kano, Katsina, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory have successfully interrupted trachoma transmission and no longer require active programme implementation.
She expressed optimism that sustained government commitment, stronger partnerships and improved security would enable Nigeria to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.
Meanwhile, the Director and Programme Manager of the National Trachoma Programme at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Nicholas Olobio, said the country has stopped mass drug administration in 116 of the 134 LGAs that previously required treatment, representing about 87 per cent progress toward elimination.
He also disclosed that more than 100,000 trachoma surgeries have been carried out out of an estimated target of about 150,000, representing roughly 90 per cent achievement.
According to Olobio, health authorities have strengthened surveillance in areas where transmission persists by introducing complementary indicators, including the collection of conjunctival swab samples to detect ongoing infections after routine surveys.
He added that continuous surveillance was being conducted to prevent the disease from re-emerging in communities where transmission has already been interrupted.
Dr. Olobio stressed that improved Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) remains critical to sustaining elimination efforts, noting that medicines alone cannot eradicate the disease.
He said providing access to safe water, promoting regular handwashing, proper sanitation and maintaining clean environments were essential to preventing transmission, adding that similar hygiene interventions contributed to the elimination of trachoma in developed countries such as the United Kingdom.
