Senegal has made remarkable progress towards eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). In 2024, it became the first country to stop treatment for both river blindness (also known as onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis (LF). It is on track to eliminate river blindness transmission by 2027 and LF as a public health problem by 2029. 

Since 2018, the END Fund has worked directly with the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene (MSPH) to support mass drug administration (MDA), morbidity management, impact assessments, and surveillance activities.

We interviewed two leaders from MSPH, Dr. Ndèye Mbacké Kane, Coordinator of the National NTD Program, and Dr. Ngayo Sy, National Coordinator for Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis, to reflect on Senegal’s achievements and what is needed next. 

(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

THE END FUND: Could you tell us about the partnership between the END Fund and MSPH?

DR. KANE:

The main point is that there is no intermediary between the END Fund and MSPH. The END Fund works directly with the Ministry of Health, providing financial and technical support, and aligns directly with national priorities and strategic plans. This model extends all the way down to the operational level, where program leadership and regional and district health teams are given the flexibility to manage activities directly. This approach strengthens country ownership and ensures that action plans are practical, coordinated, and smoothly implemented within the existing health system.

The END Fund: In recent years, there have been particularly significant milestones, including stopping MDAs for river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in 2024, followed by the elimination of trachoma last year 

DR. NGAYO:

Yes, it was a source of satisfaction for all of us, starting with the communities, to achieve interruption of transmission for river blindness after 20 years of treatment and after five years for LF. We are now in our final year of surveillance for river blindness, after which we plan to submit the elimination dossier before the end of 2026—the final stage before Senegal is verified as having eliminated the disease.

In the meantime, we are already working on a post-validation plan for LF and a post-elimination plan for river blindness to ensure the diseases don’t resurge.

An equally important milestone is that Senegal co-financed the work toward the elimination dossiers. This is the first time MSPH has been able to put financial resources into surveillance activities. This includes integrating surveillance into broader health systems, including malaria programs. 

The END Fund: If you had to highlight a few key moments, which ones really stood out to you as decisive milestones in this progress?

DR. NGAYO:

Looking back, one of the key successes was how early the program invested in understanding the problem. By the mid-1980s, baseline mapping had already identified that river blindness was concentrated in the southeast of Senegal, which allowed efforts to be much more targeted from the start. From there, the program showed a real ability to adapt, moving away from mobile teams, which were logistically heavy and didn’t engage communities well, toward more locally grounded approaches. The transition to community-directed treatment in the late 1990s was critical. Communities took on responsibility for planning and implementation, which led to stronger ownership and consistently high treatment coverage, often exceeding targets.

Building on that momentum, the program later expanded into integrated treatment around 2007, using the same community-driven platform to deliver multiple interventions rather than focusing on a single disease.

The END Fund: There has also been significant progress in schistosomiasis treatment.

DR. KANE:

Indeed, eight million children no longer require treatment for schistosomiasis, and prevalence has been reduced from approximately 15–20% in 2022 to about 4% in 2025, exceeding targets. The decisive factors were scaling treatment, strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, and promoting an inclusive, multi-sectoral approach to achieve these outcomes.

The END Fund: Could you tell us about the ongoing efforts to extend deworming treatment to women of reproductive age? What are the main focus areas of this expansion, and why is it important to include this population? How does this fit into the overall elimination strategy?

DR. KANE:

Women of reproductive age are an especially important target population, as parasitic infections can worsen iron deficiency through blood loss. This isn’t simply a targeted NTD intervention, but a cornerstone of improving women’s health, nutrition, and maternal outcomes. We are now running deworming programs for women in collaboration with the Directorate of Maternal and Child Health, at antenatal care consultations for pregnant women and community-centered campaigns for other women between the ages of 15 and 49, where they are able to receive treatment. 

The progress is tracked through an indicator in our digital health information system platform, known as the DHIS2.

The END Fund: What are the priorities to fund the transition from control to elimination for all NTDs?

DR. KANE:

One important area is data management. Today, all NTD indicators are integrated into the DHIS2. We have digitized campaign reporting tools. Spatial microplanning is helping us target remaining areas where transmission persists, to ensure that no one is left behind. Multisectoral coordination is also important to address the root causes of these diseases. Sectors such as education, sanitation, and water must take ownership and incorporate these issues into their programming.

DR. NGAYO:

We must also further strengthen domestic resource mobilization and engage partners to support this process. Beyond the central government, we believe that regions, districts, and even communities have the capacity to contribute. Senegal’s health system allows for a degree of financial autonomy at the local level. Through advocacy and communication efforts, village and community development committees have become involved in supporting this work. Health posts and community structures can mobilize resources to reduce the overall funding burden. Local governments are now including health budgets for NTDs within their local planning and financing processes.

The END Fund: Thank you, Dr. Kane and Dr. Ngayo.