Thanks to the support of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund at the END Fund, Yemen’s National Onchocerciasis Elimination Committee (NOEC) successfully advocated for mass drug administration in southern Yemen. Professor Charles Mackenzie, NOEC chair, trained health workers in southern Yemen during virtual sessions, which were soon followed by a mass drug administration (MDA) successfully conducted in September 2025. The Ministry of Public Health and Population based in Aden, with support from a local implementing partner, the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, was able to mobilize 700 health
workers and 87 team leaders to assist 375 drug distribution teams to treat more than 220,000 people in six endemic districts in the Taiz governorate reaching 70% treatment coverage.
The determination of the Yemeni people and its partners is a testament to what can be achieved in the face of extraordinary adversity. Their unwavering commitment to eliminating onchocerciasis stands as a powerful example of resilience, partnership, and the shared will to protect future generations.
(Photos of MDA courtesy of the Aden-based onchocerciasis program.)