Weekly epidemiological record
10 October 2025
No 41, 2025, 100, 451–468
Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, remains a major public health challenge despite decades of sustained efforts. More than 99% of population requiring preventive chemotherapy (PC) for onchocerciasis live in 26 countries in Africa, and about 1% living outside the continent in Brazil, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Yemen. Gabon remains the only endemic country globally not implementing ivermectin treatment due to challenges associated with Loa loa co-endemicity and the risk of severe adverse events with ivermectin, particularly when introduced for the first time. Sudan did not implement MDA for onchocerciasis in 2024 and Yemen has not submitted its report yet. In 2024, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Brazil implemented 2 rounds of treatment with ivermectin, providing 22 952 and 13 044 treatments respectively. For more details on progress achieved by the endemic countries in the Americas see the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA) report published in this issue.
By the end of 2024, 25.5 million people were living in areas no longer requiring ivermectin treatment, with Nigeria accounting for more than 16.6 million of these. An additional 13.1 million people in 124 implementation units (IUs) across 4 countries are awaiting post-treatment surveillance to confirm cessation of PC. In 2024, 26 countries reported treatment against onchocerciasis reaching 171.6 million people worldwide. Global coverage achieved in 2024 was 68%. Ivermectin was distributed in 84.0% of known endemic IUs for onchocerciasis, of which 88% achieved effective coverage
The year 2025 represents a pivotal moment of transition and reflection, marking the midpoint of the NTD road map. The road map highlights the importance of stronger country ownership and leadership, while underscoring the integration of NTD delivery programs into health systems and existing national platforms. Countries are encouraged to conduct a midterm review to assess progress toward targets, identify challenges and opportunities, and develop acceleration plans toward 2030 that prioritize sustainability, country ownership, and equitable partnerships that provide catalytic support under national leadership. (WHO, 2025)
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