The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday verified that Niger has met the criteria for eliminating transmission of a parasite that causes blindness, making it the fifth country globally and the first in Africa to be acknowledged by the UN agency for interrupting the disease’s spread, Anadolu Agency reports citing WHO.

Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a parasitic disease which is the second-leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, after trachoma.

"Eliminating a disease is a significant achievement that requires tireless dedication," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. "I congratulate Niger for its commitment to liberating its population from this blinding, stigmatizing illness that causes so much human suffering among the poorest."

Tedros said this landmark success offers hope to other nations still battling onchocerciasis, showing that elimination is possible.

The disease is transmitted to humans through the bites of black flies, primarily found in riverine areas.

It primarily affects rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen, with smaller endemic areas found in parts of Latin America.