Global health success: Senegal eliminates blinding disease trachoma

Senegal has eliminated the blinding disease trachoma as a public health problem. The news, confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) today (15 July 2025), means that more than nine million people in the country are no longer at risk of losing their sight to the disease. It also brings the WHO’s ambitious goal to eliminate trachoma globally, another step closer.

Trachoma is caused by a bacterial infection. Repeated infections cause scarring in the eyelid which turns lashes inwards, scratching against the eye with every blink. People describe the pain as like having sand in their eyes and often resort to pulling out their eyelashes or shaving them.

One patient in Senegal with advanced trachoma, Ndiatte Ndiaye, in her 60s, from Touba, even described sticking her eyes open with chewing gum to try and end the pain. “When my eyelashes stung, I fixed them upward. I took a chewing gum and stuck it upwards. I was fine when I put them up, but if they are not fixed up they keep stinging and hurting, and you can’t see – you can’t do anything.”

Left untreated, trachoma can lead to permanent sight loss and prevents people from being able to get an education, earn a living and care for their families. Ndiatte Ndiaye was one of more than 30,000 people Sightsavers Senegal supported with straightforward eyelid surgery to end the pain, prevent further sight loss and help restore independence.

Dr. Mouctar Dieng Badiane, Coordinator of the National Eye Health Program in Senegal, said:

“In Senegal, the elimination of trachoma is not just a public health success. It is the story of a country that has mobilized its communities, health professionals and partners to transform a silent threat into a collective victory. This success embodies the determination to sustainably include eye health as a national priority.”

Cheikh Ibrahima Seck, Country Director of Sightsavers Senegal, which supported the Senegal Ministry of Health with the elimination, said:

“Congratulations to Senegal on eliminating the painfully blinding disease trachoma. At a time when much recent progress in global health is in jeopardy, we must celebrate this monumental achievement. Look what we can achieve when ministries of health, NGOs, donors and countless community health workers join forces.

“We must remember that this announcement is both a celebration and a commitment to remain vigilant in our work to eliminate trachoma everywhere.”

It has taken Senegal 13 years to eliminate trachoma. As well as supporting operations for advanced trachoma, Sightsavers has supported almost 4.2 million doses of drugs and training for 45 trachoma surgeons across the country whose expertise will now benefit Senegal’s health system for years to come. This work was funded by international donors including the Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the ELMA Foundation, and Virgin Unite. 

The number of people at risk of trachoma globally fell by more than 93%, from around 1.5 billion people in 20021 to 103 million worldwide in 20242, according to WHO figures. But despite huge global progress, the disease remains the leading infectious cause of blindness3 worldwide.

As well as supporting Senegal, Sightsavers has worked with Ghana, The Gambia, Malawi, Benin, Mali and Pakistan to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, with more countries expected to announce eliminations in 2025 and 2026. Because of treatment through Sightsavers’ programmes, more than 100 million people are no longer at risk of losing their health, education or earning potential to preventable neglected tropical diseases like trachoma.

Further support towards Senegal’s trachoma elimination came from USAID’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases (West) programme, managed by FHI 360, and USAID’s ENVISION programme, managed by RTI International, as well as Pfizer and the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI).