Nigeria and 12 other nations have been allocated $36.5 million to eradicate trachoma, a debilitating eye disease. Dr. Joy Shu’aibu, Country Director for Sightsavers, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria NAN, Dr. Shu’aibu stated that the funding which is part of Sightsavers’ “Accelerate Programme,” aims to eliminate trachoma by 2027, with Nigeria among the countries targeted.
Trachoma, a neglected tropical disease, causes vision loss and blindness, severely impacting daily life. The funding, sourced from international donors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to support affected countries in ending the scourge of trachoma.
The 12 countries targeted to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem by 2027 include Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
