Senegal successfully eradicates trachoma, marking major victory
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated Senegal’s elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, marking a historic achievement.
Key Highlights:
- Strategic Implementation Success: Senegal successfully implemented WHO’s comprehensive SAFE strategy, reaching 2.8 million people across 24 districts through surgical interventions, mass antibiotic distribution, facial cleanliness campaigns, and improved water and sanitation access.
- Long-term Commitment Pays Off: The country’s journey began in 1998 when it joined the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma, demonstrating sustained political will and resource allocation over more than two decades.
- Disease Elimination Progress: This achievement makes Senegal the second neglected tropical disease eliminated, following its 2004 certification as free from dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease).
- Global Impact and Progress: Senegal joins 24 other countries worldwide that have eliminated trachoma, contributing to a significant 51% reduction in people requiring antibiotic treatment across Africa from 189 million in 2014 to 93 million in 2024.
With this validation, 25 countries worldwide have now eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Currently, 20 countries in WHO’s African Region still require intervention for trachoma elimination.
Reference: World Health Organization. (2025, July 15). Senegal joins growing list of countries that have eliminated trachoma. WHO. Retrieved [2025, September 9], from https://www.who.int/news/item/15-07-2025-senegal-joins-growing-list-of-countries-that-have-eliminated-trachoma
