Nigeria and 15 other countries have received a boost with a $36.5 million injection of funds to combat trachoma.
Dr. Joy Shu’aibu, the Country Director for Sightsavers, an international development organization, disclosed this in a statement released on Thursday in Abuja.
Trachoma, categorized as a neglected tropical disease, initiates as a bacterial infection affecting the eye, ultimately leading to vision impairment and irreversible blindness.
Dr. Shu’aibu emphasized that the funding is allocated under the “Accelerate Programme,” with the ambitious goal of eradicating the disease by 2027.
What she said
She expressed the harrowing impact of trachoma on individuals, hindering their ability to work, sustain livelihoods, perform household tasks, and pursue education.
- Describing the pain experienced by those afflicted, she likened it to having sand or thorns embedded in the eyes.
- Highlighting the program’s past successes, Dr. Shu’aibu noted that through the Programme, Sightsavers assisted the Republic of Benin in achieving trachoma elimination in 2023.
- With the infusion of new funding, support will be intensified for 16 additional countries, including Nigeria, to decisively tackle the scourge of trachoma.
Furthermore, she elaborated that the additional funds would extend the reach of the Programme, which commenced in 2018.
- The funding derives from various international donors, notably the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, the ELMA Foundation, and, others.
What you should know
The primary objective of the initiative is to eliminate trachoma as a public health concern by 2027 in 12 targeted countries, including Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Additionally, support will be extended to Ethiopia, which bears the world’s highest burden of the disease.
