Niger Eliminates Onchocerciasis

In December 2025, Niger became the first country in the African Region to eliminate onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness.

• Niger is now recognised as the fifth country globally and the first in Africa to have successfully halted transmission of the parasite Onchocerca volvulus.
• The other countries that have achieved this milestone are Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico, all located in the Americas.
• Onchocerciasis is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bites of infected black flies, typically found near fast-flowing rivers.
• It is the world’s second leading infectious cause of blindness after ....