Over 43m risk river blindness as Nigeria moves toward elimination target

Despite significant progress in eliminating river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis, over 40 million Nigerians remain at risk.

This is as the federal government, in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, yesterday confirmed that transmission of the disease had been interrupted in at least 10 states, including Kaduna, Nasarawa, Anambra and Abia.

Speaking at NIMR’s monthly media chat in Lagos, the Director of Research at NIMR and a leading public health parasitologist, Dr. Babatunde Adewale, stated that children under 10 were now being targeted for blood sampling in endemic communities where treatment had been ongoing for more than a decade.

If these children test negative, it is an indication that transmission has stopped.

Onchocerciasis, transmitted by blackflies, is a major cause of preventable blindness in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nigeria began using Ivermectin through mass drug administration, MDA, in the 1990s to control the disease.

However, due to its effectiveness and growing scientific evidence from countries such as Nigeria, Mali, and Senegal, global focus had shifted from control to total elimination.

“We are no longer just controlling the disease, elimination is now within reach. By 2030, we hope Nigeria will be declared free of onchocerciasis,” Adewale said.

He noted that over 37 million Nigerians had received treatment, adding that using Ov-16 antigen tests on samples collected must show positivity rates below 0.1 per cent to confirm transmission interruption.

NIMR also contributes to public health education and ethics, focusing on neglected tropical diseases that impact rural communities, which are key to Nigeria’s food security.

“These communities are the backbone of our food system,” Adewale said, emphasising that their health must not be overlooked.

He recalled that Nigeria’s success did not happen overnight, stressing that it followed decades of mass campaigns, supported by the World Health Organization, WHO, the federal ministry of health, and other partners, using community-directed treatment with Ivermectin, CDTI. This approach empowers locals to lead the fight by administering the drug themselves.

Onchocerciasis is caused by the Onchocerca volvulus parasite and is the world’s second leading cause of infectious blindness. Nigeria has adopted a phased strategy toward elimination: Phase one is the interruption of transmission; phase two involves post-treatment surveillance for 3–5 years; and phase three, verification by WHO experts.

Challenges remain, particularly insecurity in parts of the country that limit access to some communities. Only Lagos and Rivers States remain officially non-endemic.

Whie expressing optimism about its elimination, Adewale said: “We are doing better than many other African countries. Only Niger has been validated for elimination, and Nigeria is much larger.”

NIMR’s Senior Research Fellow Dr. Kazeem Osuolale, called for stronger community engagement and economic empowerment to improve health outcomes.

“Health interventions must be people-centered,” he said, noting that financially empowered individuals were more likely to comply with treatment.

Also speaking, Mr. Adeniyi Adeneye, a Research Fellow at NIMR’s Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, stressed the importance of health literacy.

He said: “Without public understanding of disease causes and prevention, even the most expensive innovations may fail.’’

By Chioma Obinna, Vanguard