Onchocerciasis in Nigeria 2: Appraisal of seven years (May 2015 – May 2022) of onchocerciasis elimination programme

https://doi.org/10.60787/ms49-5d44

Abstract

This paper is an appraisal of seven years (May 2015 – May 2022) of onchocerciasis elimination programme in Nigeria. The evidence that the elimination of transmission of onchocerciasis is feasible with repeated ivermectin treatment encouraged the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) to embark on the elimination of onchocerciasis and inaugurated National Onchocerciasis Elimination Committee (NOEC) in 2015. The mandate and the strategic plan of NOEC are geared towards meeting up with the 2021-2030 road map to eliminate onchocerciasis in order to attain the Sustainable Development Goals. The tools for entomological and epidemiological evaluation, the indicators of interruption and elimination of onchocerciasis as well as the classification and reclassification of transmission zones/States are discussed. At the inauguration of NOEC in 2015, there was no State or zone in Nigeria where onchocerciasis was interrupted or eliminated. By May 2022, despite the challenges encountered in the exercise, onchocerciasis has been eliminated in two States, interruption of transmission has been achieved in 4 States and a total of 10.2 million persons from 58 Local Government Areas are no longer in need of MDA for onchocerciasis. The results of the seven-year stewardship of onchocerciasis elimination in Nigeria are encouraging. However, there is still the need to strengthen and sustain the elimination strategies towards eliminating onchocerciasis by 2030 in the country.