Our work in Côte d’Ivoire
Sightsavers’ work in Côte d’Ivoire focuses on diseases such as river blindness. In 2021 we distributed 2.7 million treatments and trained 21,000 volunteers to give out medication.
Neglected tropical diseases such as river blindness are a major health problem in Côte d’Ivoire.
It’s believed more than 21 million people are in danger of contracting lymphatic filariasis, a debilitating infection transmitted via mosquito bite.
More than 4.1 million people are also at risk of river blindness, which can cause severe skin irritation, itching, visual impairment and irreversible blindness. It is spread by the bite of infected black flies.
Thanks to the UK aid flagship neglected tropical disease (NTD) programme, Ascend West and Central Africa, as a consortium, Sightsavers along with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), Mott Macdonald, and the SCI Foundation, is supporting ministries to combat these diseases. In addition to supporting efforts to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and river blindness, the programme is also working to protect communities from schistosomiasis and trachoma.
At a glance
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Key programmes
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Sightsavers’ Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame re-elected to UN disability committee
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World NTD Day: highlights from around the world
On 30 January 2022, Sightsavers staff and supporters joined the global event to raise awareness about eliminating neglected tropical diseases.
Eye care and COVID-19: what we’ve learned during the pandemic
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