Federal Government, SightSavers Records Major Public Health Milestones.

Gives Hope To Nigerians suffering From River Blindness/ Elephantiasis.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and SightSavers, an international charity working to prevent avoidable blindness, fight disease and support equality for women, girls and people, have recorded a public health milestone.

The success which was made possible through a project called BLON Project in collaboration with Bill Gates Foundation is a major public health initiative in Nigeria, designed to assess and stop the mass administration of drugs for lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and onchocerciasis (river blindness),  

Professor Joy Shaibu, Country Director of SightSavers.

River blindness (onchocerciasis) historically has been endemic across of Nigeria, with specific states showing high prevalence rates,  while many areas have successfully interrupted transmission, some states remain endemic or are at risk of recrudescence.

It is in this vein that SightSavers and the Federal Government with support of Bill Gates and other NGO's sort to bring relief to those affected by this problem.

At BLON Project closeout event which was held in Abuja, Nigeria's Minister of state for Health, Social Welfare, Dr Salako Izaiq Adekunle, applauded the efforts of SightSavers for the success recorded.

The Minister who said the project was designed to generate scientific evidence to guide the safe cessation of Mass Drug Administration, strengthen health systems, and provide scalable models for delivering interventions sustainably across the country, revealed that 31.1 million Nigerians no longer require treatment for lymphatic filariasis, while 16 million people no longer need medication for onchocerciasis.

According to Dr Salako, "31.1 million people no longer require treatment for lymphatic filariasis and 16 million no longer need treatment for onchocerciasis.

Dr Salako stated that the project success, far surpassed the original target of 27 million, adding that the results demonstrate measurable progress toward eliminating neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria.

The Minister who proudly noted that the outcomes exceeded initial projections, attributed the high success recorded to the financial and technical backing of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which he said, provided $4.9 million to support nationwide surveys on onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.

According to him, “The Foundation’s funding and oversight, including the appointment of Sai Siva as grant manager, enabled effective planning, monitoring and implementation, ensuring that resources delivered maximum impact at the community level,” 

He disclosed that, "Beyond disease reduction, the project significantly boosted Nigeria’s health infrastructure. 

This is as he also revealed that through the project, four laboratories received capacity building and facility upgrades toward ISO 15189 accreditation, while 65 laboratory technicians and more than 300 field workers were trained in standardised procedures for blood collection, data recording and sample analysis.

Dr Salako disclosed that, "To ensure lasting impact, the project timeline was extended from 2024 to end in September 2025, at no additional cost, allowing interventions and assessments to be completed thoroughly. 

The Minister also attributed the success of the project to community participation,  commitment of field workers, supervisors and implementers at the grassroots who ensured that communities fully benefited from the interventions, despite tight timelines and funding constraints,  

Professor Joy Shaibu, Country Director of Sightsavers in Nigeria, said the project demonstrated the strength of partnerships between government, international NGOs and local organisations.

Describing the outcome as a landmark achievement in preventing avoidable blindness, she expressed hope that the evidence generated would attract more funding to scale up elimination efforts nationwide.

The National Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Ministry of Health/ Social Development, Fatai Bamiji Oyediran, disclosed that, "About 31 million people no longer need treatment for lymphatic filariasis, and 16 million no longer require treatment for onchocerciasis,” 

Oyediran while speaking with the press. revealed that onchocerciasis has been completely eliminated in some states, with others nearing the same milestone.

"We have totally eliminated onchocerciasis in Plateau and Nasarawa states. About nine other states are close, while another 11 will soon follow. Overall, about 22 states are moving toward elimination,” Oyediran disclosed 

"Systematic disease mapping and long-term treatment were key to the success.

"Unchecked drug distribution without monitoring could lead to community fatigue and undermine progress. He warned

Adding that,  "Education on river blindness and elephantiasis helped boost community acceptance and participation.

In conclusion, The Blon project which has been commended by many,  conducted Nigeria's largest-ever assessments for two diseases (onchocerciasis/lymphatic filariasis).