The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated Senegal as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the ninth country in the WHO African Region to do so and the 25th globally.
“Senegal has freed its population from a disease that has cast a shadow for more than a century,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This is another sign of progress against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and brings hope to countries still working toward elimination.”
Trachoma, a bacterial eye infection and leading infectious cause of blindness, has plagued Senegal since the early 1900s. It was confirmed as a major cause of blindness in the 1980s and 1990s. Senegal began its elimination efforts in earnest in 1998, joining the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma and mapping the disease nationally by 2017 with support from the Global Trachoma Mapping Project and Tropical Data.
Senegal implemented WHO’s SAFE strategy—surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement—reaching 2.8 million people across 24 districts. The antibiotic azithromycin was provided through donations by Pfizer via the International Trachoma Initiative.
“Today we celebrate our victory against trachoma, 21 years after eliminating dracunculiasis,” said Dr Ibrahima Sy, Senegal’s Minister of Health and Social Action. “We remain fully committed to eliminating all neglected tropical diseases, including sleeping sickness and onchocerciasis.”
Trachoma is now the second NTD to be eliminated in Senegal, after Guinea-worm disease in 2004. WHO will continue to work with the country to monitor areas previously affected to prevent resurgence.
As of April 2024, trachoma remains a public health problem in 32 countries, with an estimated 103 million people still at risk—90% of whom live in the WHO African Region. However, significant gains have been made: the number of people requiring treatment for trachoma in Africa has dropped by 51% in a decade, from 189 million in 2014 to 93 million.
Currently, 20 countries in Africa still require interventions to eliminate trachoma, while three others—Botswana, Guinea-Bissau and Namibia—report having met the required thresholds.
WHO’s validation marks the culmination of decades of commitment and multisectoral collaboration in Senegal. “This is a powerful tribute to frontline health workers, government leaders, and communities who never gave up,” said Dr Jean-Marie Vianny Yameogo, WHO Representative in Senegal.
Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through contact with eye or nasal discharge via hands, contaminated surfaces, or flies. Risk factors include poor hygiene, overcrowding, and lack of access to clean water.
WHO recommends the SAFE strategy—Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement—to eliminate trachoma. This is part of the broader 2021–2030 road map for neglected tropical diseases, which aims to eliminate or control 20 diseases by 2030.
