The Director-General for the World Health Organisation Dr Tedros Adhanom has congratulated the Republic of Togo on becoming the first country to eliminate four devastating neglected tropical diseases – the four diseases include dracunculiasis, lymphatic filariasis, human African trypanosomiasis and trachoma.
The World Health Organisation also gave President Faure Gnassingbé an outstanding achievement award on behalf of his country’s extended health workforce.
The award was presented by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, and Ms. Thoko Elphick-Pooley, Director, Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The ceremony took place during the 72nd Session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for Africa, in Lomé, and was attended by Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé.
In congratulating Togo, Dr Tedros noted that dracunculiasis, lymphatic filariasis, human African trypanosomiasis and trachoma had long been a terrible burden for the Togolese population and that their elimination constituted “a gift not only for the people of Togo today but for generations to come”.
The elimination of human African trypanosomiasis, in 2020, coincided with the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, making Togo’s elimination of the deadly disease, also referred to as sleeping sickness, even more noteworthy.
