October 8, 2024, marked a significant turning point for India when the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized India's elimination of trachoma as a public health concern. With this accomplishment, India becomes the 19th country worldwide to obtain this citation. It joins Nepal and Myanmar in the WHO South-East Asia Region.
India’s elimination of trachoma as a public health problem is a testimony to the country’s commitment to alleviating the suffering that millions have faced from this debilitating disease.Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
The Indian Ministry of Health also shared its pride for receiving the award at the ongoing 77th Regional Conference on X. The award was received by Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, AS & MD (NHM), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Trachoma is a water-washed conjunctivitis caused by A-C class of Chlamydia, which essentially means it spreads through unclean practices involving fingers, flies, and fomites. WHO classifies trachoma according to the FISTO grading system i.e. Trachoma Follicles (TF), Trachomatous Inflammation (TI), Trachomatous Scarring (TS), Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) and Corneal Opacity (CO).
India’s success in eliminating trachoma was attributed by WHO to the effective implementation of the National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) in 1976 and the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy, which encompasses:
Surgery (S): Surgical interventions for treating trichiasis.
Antibiotics (A): Mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns using azithromycin 1g dosage to reduce the bacterial load.
Facial Cleanliness (F): Good hygiene practices to minimize the spread of infection.
Environmental Improvement (E): Access to clean water and sanitation facilities to curb infection
India’s success is due to the strong leadership of its government and the commitment of ophthalmologists and other cadres of health-care workers who ensured effective surveillance, diagnosis and management of active trachoma along with provision of surgical services for trichiasis, and promotion of water, sanitation and hygiene.Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region
According to WHO, Trachoma still continues to be a public health problem in 39 countries and is responsible for blindness in about 1.9 million people[1]. Maintaining sanitation and hygiene standards, conducting continuous surveillance drives and making sure that any re-emergence is promptly treated is critical to prevent the disease from emerging back in India.
Reference:
1. World Health Organization. "Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem in India." World Health Organization, October 8, 2024. Accessed October 11, 2024. https://www.who.int/news/item/08-10-2024-elimination-of-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem-in-india.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Dr. Chhavi Garg/MSM)