Health
Cataracts drive avoidable blindness in over two million Nigerians
The Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) has revealed that more than two million Nigerians are living with avoidable blindness, largely caused by cataracts.
The vice-president of the OSN, Abubakar Rafindadi, a professor, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press briefing ahead of the 51st Annual General Meeting and Annual Scientific Conference, Abuja ASO 2026, scheduled for 2 to 4 September in Abuja.
Mr Rafindadi said that despite ongoing efforts to tackle avoidable blindness, the country has not attained the cataract surgical rates required to reduce the burden significantly.
“The statistics have not changed dramatically. We are still fighting a heavy burden of avoidable blindness, with over two million people having avoidable blindness, mainly cataracts, despite the efforts we are making.
“We are not matching the required cataract surgical rates that we need,” he said.
The OSN vice-president, however, said the country had recorded significant progress in ophthalmic training, technology, and service delivery since its last annual conference.
Establishment of centres
Mr Rafindadi identified the establishment of simulation centres in Lagos and Ibadan as one of the major developments, saying the facilities would enable ophthalmologists to improve their skills in cataract and vitreoretinal surgery.
He said the society had also expanded the integration of eye care into primary healthcare, with the number of states participating in the programme increasing from 14 to 21.
According to him, more than 2,500 primary healthcare workers have been trained under the programme, including during a recent exercise in Bauchi State.
He said the society was also exploring technology, including tele-screening and artificial intelligence, to extend quality eye care to rural communities and underserved populations in urban centres.
Mr Rafindadi noted that although Nigeria had become increasingly urbanised, many people living in underserved communities within major cities still faced difficulties accessing quality eye care.
He said, “We are trying to see how we can adopt the new technological innovations to reach the rural populace and also the underserved populace within the metropolis.
“We are looking at how we can use technology to bridge these gaps through things like tele-screening, artificial intelligence technology, and so on.”
The OSN Vice-President also highlighted improvements in the availability of ophthalmic equipment and advanced surgical services, noting that posterior segment surgeries were now being offered in several parts of the country where such services were previously unavailable.
He said centres in Benin, Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, and Kano were among those providing advanced posterior segment surgical services.
Mr Rafindadi said the society was also concerned about the shortage and uneven distribution of ophthalmologists and other eye-care professionals across the country.
He attributed the concentration of specialists in major population centres partly to insecurity and inadequate employment opportunities in rural areas.
According to him, state and local governments must increase the employment of ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, and ophthalmic nurses to ensure equitable distribution of eye-care services.
He further disclosed that more than 1.5 million reading glasses had been distributed under the Jigibola 2.0 initiative, with a target of five million by 2027.
Harmful practices
On the dangers of harmful traditional eye practices, Mr Rafindadi urged Nigerians to avoid unverified substances and treatments that could lead to irreversible vision loss.
He said the society was working with the government and traditional medicine institutions to identify practices that could be safely integrated into healthcare while eliminating harmful ones.
READ ALSO: Kogi targets 4.5 million residents for river blindness prevention treatment
“We must keep talking to the public. Please don’t go to these people. They should be aware that these practices can be harmful and can cause irreversible loss of vision to them,” he said.
The OSN said it would conduct more than 500 free cataract surgeries as part of activities leading up to the 51st Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference.
The cataract surgery outreach, which is scheduled for 27 and 28 August, with the possibility of extending to 29 August if necessary, is expected to benefit patients screened and selected from various centres in the Federal Capital Territory and neighbouring areas.
The Society said more than 500 patients had already been selected and medically assessed as fit for surgery.
The conference, themed “Re-imaging Eye Care in the Digital Era,” will focus on the application of artificial intelligence, tele-ophthalmology, digital diagnostics, and other emerging technologies to improve access to eye care in Nigeria.
Mr Rafindadi said the society would use the conference to develop evidence-based recommendations and a strategic roadmap for improving eye care delivery in the country.
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Health
EXCLUSIVE: Ebola: 34-year-old pilot, wife identified as suspected cases who tested negative in North-east Nigeria
A 34-year-old pilot and his wife, a medical doctor, were the two people investigated for suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Adamawa State after developing symptoms including fever, vomiting, fatigue, headache, cough, bleeding gums and nosebleeds.
Although Nigerian officials said two suspected Ebola cases were being investigated in the state and eventually turned negative, their identities were not disclosed. PREMIUM TIMES can now disclose the officials’ identities, though we are redacting their names.
An internal memo from the Adamawa State Ministry of Health and Human Services, obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES, said the couple were admitted to the isolation centre of the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola, on 29 October.
The memo, dated 30 October 2026 and signed by the State Epidemiologist, Jones Kadabiyu, said the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) received the report at 6:45 a.m. following a clinician’s report from MAUTH.
The development came as health authorities intensified surveillance following Nigeria’s confirmation of its first Ebola case in the current outbreak.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) had on Saturday announced that two suspected Ebola cases had been identified in the North-east, but did not initially disclose the state where the cases were detected.
However, the agency later confirmed that the two suspected cases were in Adamawa, noting that the laboratory tests on samples from both individuals were negative for Ebola after two rounds of testing.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris, the NCDC said it was working with the Adamawa State government to investigate the suspected cases.
The agency said it isolated the two individuals and immediately activated public health measures while collecting samples for laboratory testing.
“Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing,” Mr Idris said.
The NCDC said there is currently no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa State, adding that the previously confirmed case in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) remains the only confirmed case in Nigeria.
What PREMIUM TIMES learnt
According to the memo, the pilot developed symptoms on 13 October, while his wife developed similar symptoms on 25 October.
The names of the two patients are contained in the documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES. However, this newspaper is withholding their identities to protect their privacy.
A preliminary report dated 31 October from Yola North Local Government Area (LGA), Adamawa State, said the pilot travelled to Kenya “for personal reasons” on 14 October and returned to Nigeria on 25 October. It said he had developed a fever before his trip and was treated for malaria.
“Prior to his departure, he reportedly developed a fever on 13 October 2026 and was treated for malaria. He reportedly remained well while in Kenya,” it noted.
However, upon returning to Yola, he developed symptoms including fever, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, headache, cough, bleeding gums and nosebleeds. His wife subsequently developed similar symptoms after caring for him at home.
They were both admitted at the MAUTH isolation centre.
The state health authorities collected samples from both patients on 30 October and transported them to the National Reference Laboratory for testing, according to the report.
Contacts traced
The memo report said 18 contacts had been identified, traced and line-listed, while the preliminary report dated 31 October put the number at 17.
The PHEOC also notified the State Rapid Response Team, the State NCDC office, Local Government Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.
The state health authorities recommended continued contact tracing, infection prevention and control measures, enhanced surveillance and coordination with relevant authorities.
The NCDC has urged Nigerians to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information.
It also advised people who develop symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly after a relevant exposure, to seek immediate medical attention.
READ ALSO: Ebola: Saudi Arabia suspends travel to Kenya, halts visa issuance
Ebola outbreak
Nigeria is one of five countries that have detected Bundibugyo virus disease during the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May.
The outbreak has remained concentrated in the DRC but has spread beyond the country.
Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola in 2026 was a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive on 20 October. She was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for continued treatment.
The NCDC’s latest situation report said 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case had been identified and were being monitored.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, had said genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in the Nigerian patient was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first imported case. He, however, said the finding did not establish that the Nigerian patient was infected in Kenya.
WHO’s latest update reported 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths in the DRC as of 28 October. Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria had one confirmed case at the time of the update.
Ebola is a viral disease that can cause severe illness and spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said two suspected Ebola cases identified in Adamawa State have tested negative for the virus.
The development came hours after the agency announced that two suspected Ebola cases had been identified in Nigeria’s North-east, without disclosing the state where they were found.
In a statement signed by its Director-General, Jide Idris, on Saturday evening, the NCDC said the samples collected from the two individuals tested negative for Ebola virus after two rounds of testing.
The agency said the suspected cases were reported in Yola, Adamawa State, on 30 October after the two individuals presented with symptoms suggestive of Ebola.
“Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EVD after two rounds of testing,” Mr Idris said.
Mr Idris said there is currently no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa State.
He added that the index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed Ebola case reported in Nigeria to date.
Ebola outbreak
The development comes 11 days after Nigeria confirmed its first case of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus.
Nigeria is one of five countries that have detected Bundibugyo virus disease during the current outbreak, which began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in May.
The outbreak has remained concentrated in the DRC but has spread beyond the country.
Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola in 2026 was a woman who travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive on 20 October. She was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for continued treatment.
READ ALSO: Ebola: No new cases in Nigeria as two suspected cases in North-east test negative
The NCDC’s latest situation report said 62 contacts linked to Nigeria’s confirmed case had been identified and were being monitored.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, had said genomic analysis showed that the virus detected in the Nigerian patient was closely related to the strain identified in Kenya’s first imported case. He, however, said the finding did not establish that the Nigerian patient was infected in Kenya.
WHO’s latest update reported 10,274 confirmed cases and 4,992 deaths in the DRC as of 28 October. Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Nigeria has one confirmed case at the time of the update.
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