Inaugural meeting of the Global Onchocerciasis Network for Elimination (GONE)

Saly, Senegal - More than 150 onchocerciasis partners, including national onchocerciasis coordinators from health ministries in endemic countries, national onchocerciasis elimination committee chairs, experts, researchers, nongovernmental organizations, the donor community, and civil society gathered on November 2023 1 and 2, 2023 in Saly, Senegal, for the first meeting of the new Global Onchocerciasis Elimination Network (GONE) to strengthen the collaboration among countries and partners.

Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is the second leading infectious cause of blindness after trachoma. It is classified as a neglected tropical disease (NTD), and can cause intense itching, rashes, skin discoloration, visual impairment, and eye disease leading to permanent blindness. The disease is transmitted through the bites of infected black flies that breed in rapidly flowing rivers. Globally, at least 244 million people in 31 countries suffer from the debilitating and painful effects of onchocerciasis. Africa shoulders the major burden, with 99% of the people at risk of onchocerciasis residing in 28 countries.

Dr Didier Bakajika, the lead expert on Onchocerciasis at ESPEN provided insights into the progress made by various countries in eliminating onchocerciasis. He also facilitated a session on onchocerciasis mapping, monitoring and evaluation, highlighting data needs and strategic approaches to monitoring the impact of onchocerciasis interventions. In addition, participants got a demonstration on how to use the Country Health Information Platform on the ESPEN portal. The conference provided an opportunity for country programmes to share experiences in vector surveillance and cross-border collaboration for onchocerciasis elimination. The participants collectively endorsed the terms of reference of GONE and explored opportunities for new partnerships to support initiatives to accelerate the elimination of onchocerciasis.