As a prelude to the National Trachoma Elimination Day, scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, 2025, the Senegalese health authorities, through the Directorate for Disease Control, organized a sharing workshop to provide information on the major advances made in the fight against this eye disease.

On this occasion, Dr. Moutar Dieng Badiane, ophthalmologist and coordinator of the National Program for the Promotion of Health and Public Hygiene, confirmed that Senegal officially received from the WHO, on July 15, validation of the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem.

Senegal off the trachoma “red list”

"All districts in the country have a prevalence below the thresholds set by the WHO, less than 5% for active forms in children aged 1 to 9 years and less than 0.2% for cases of trachomatous trichiasis in adults," the specialist said.

This recognition marks a decisive turning point in the fight against this infectious disease, the leading cause of preventable blindness of bacterial origin in the world.

Maintained vigilance: implementation of a post-elimination plan

Although this validation represents a health victory, authorities insist on the need for rigorous monitoring to preserve these achievements. With this in mind, a post-validation monitoring plan has been developed with input from several stakeholders.

With this elimination, Senegal becomes a model for Africa and intends to share its experience with countries still fighting trachoma.

Trachoma: Post-elimination challenges in Senegal

Despite this progress, challenges remain. Dr. Moutar Badiane identified several post-elimination challenges. He emphasized the importance of strengthened intersectoral engagement, particularly from ministries responsible for water, sanitation, environment, and hygiene, to actively engage communities, prevent any resurgence of trachoma, and ensure the sustainability of the results achieved.

A long-standing partner of the Ministry of Health, the NGO SightSavers played a central role in this success. Khady Ba, Program Manager at the country office, praised the progress made before highlighting the NGO's key actions in the fight against trachoma.

"For ten years, we have been collaborating with the Ministry of Health in the fight against trachoma. More than 30,000 trichiasis surgeries have been performed. We have also trained 45 expert surgeons, contributing to the resilience of the health system, and provided 4.2 million doses of medication in endemic areas, out of a total investment of two billion CFA francs," she explains.

It is important to remember that trachoma is an infectious disease and the leading preventable cause of blindness worldwide. Extremely contagious, it primarily affects low-income rural areas.

After years of hard work, the stakeholders who have identified with this fight plan to celebrate this major health breakthrough on September 16.