Nigeria is close to eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, with only 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs) still affected, health officials and development partners said on Thursday.
The update was shared in Abuja at a learning event organised by Sightsavers under the AcceleraTE Trachoma Elimination Programme, where stakeholders reviewed progress made since 2018 in tackling the neglected tropical disease responsible for preventable blindness.
Officials said Nigeria has now stopped mass drug administration (MDA) in 116 LGAs, a milestone they described as evidence of sustained progress in breaking transmission chains across endemic communities. They also revealed that more than 100,000 corrective eye surgeries have been carried out for people suffering from advanced trachoma, particularly trachomatous trichiasis.
Director of the Trachoma Programme at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Nicholas Olobio, said the country had recorded significant achievements but must intensify efforts to reach remaining hotspots.
“One of the things we’ve achieved is that we’ve stopped mass drug administration in 116 LGAs. That translates to about 87 per cent progress,” Olobio said. “We’ve also done over 100,000 surgeries, which is over 90 per cent of the target.”
He explained that surveillance has been strengthened beyond treatment, with health teams now using complementary indicators to ensure the disease does not resurface in previously treated communities.
“We don’t only do surgeries; we also collect samples and carry out surveillance to check for ongoing infection and ensure the disease does not return after treatment,” he said.
Olobio added that environmental factors remain central to eliminating trachoma permanently, stressing that drugs and surgery alone are not enough.
“Giving drugs alone cannot do the magic,” he said. “People need safe water, proper sanitation and good hygiene. Once the environment is clean, transmission drops.”
Country Coordinator of Sightsavers Nigeria, Dr Teyil Wamyil Mshelia, said the AcceleraTE programme had supported large-scale surgeries, antibiotic distribution, surveys, and behaviour change campaigns in endemic communities since 2018.
She said interventions aligned with the World Health Organization’s SAFE strategy—surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement—had reached tens of thousands of patients, distributed millions of antibiotic doses, and trained thousands of community case finders.
Mshelia also noted that digital tools such as the TT Tracker app were being used to monitor patients after surgery and improve follow-up care, while collaboration with the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector had been expanded.
However, she warned that insecurity and population movement, especially in Borno State, remain major challenges in reaching the final affected communities.
“We need to think strategically about how to work in insecurity and how to track populations displaced by conflict or migration so they can still access treatment and services,” she said.
Chairman of the National Trachoma Taskforce, Prof. Adamu Mohammed, said Nigeria had made substantial progress but cautioned that insecurity in some northern areas could slow final elimination efforts.
“What is remaining is about 11 LGAs that are yet to achieve elimination,” he said, identifying Borno State as the most affected due to limited access to some communities.
He called for stronger government-backed security support to enable health workers and partners reach hard-to-access areas.
“What we need is a secure platform where partners and state teams can operate, deliver drugs and surgically manage patients safely,” he said.
Stakeholders at the event said several states including Bauchi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kano, Katsina, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory have made major progress and are no longer carrying high trachoma burdens.
They added that while Nigeria is now on the verge of elimination, sustained funding, stronger state ownership, improved WASH services, and safe access to remaining endemic communities will be critical to achieving full eradication of the disease