The World Health Organisation (WHO) has certified India, Nepal, and Myanmar as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. India joins 19 other countries in the world that have successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. According to the WHO, trachoma is still a major public health problem in 39 countries in the world and causes blindness in around 19 lakh people worldwide.
WHO has attributed the success to the government's National Trachoma Control Program. Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission.
Trachoma is an eye disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria. It is a highly infectious disease that spreads from one infected person to another through;
Repeated infection with trachoma leads to scarring of the inner side of the upper eyelids. This scarring causes the eyelid margin to turn inward, and the person's eyelashes touch the eyeball. This painful condition is known as trachomatous trichiasis, and if left untreated, it can result in visual impairment and blindness.
To address the problem of trachoma, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched a National Trachoma Control Program in 1963 with the help of WHO and UNICEF.
In 1976, the central government launched the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), and the National Trachoma Control Program was merged with it.
The NPCBVI programme incorporated the WHO's SAFE strategy.
The WHO’s recommended SAFE strategy consists of:
According to the government of India, during the 50s and 60s, trachoma was widespread in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and the Nicobar Islands, with over 50 per cent of their population infected by the eye disease. In 1971, trachoma was responsible for 5% of all blindness cases in the country.
However, due to the successful implementation of the National Trachoma Control Program, the incidence of trachoma-induced blindness was brought down to 4% of all cases of blindness in India. By 2018, it was down to 0.008%.
According to the World Health Organisation, 19 countries have successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. These are Benin, Cambodia, China, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Gambia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mexico, Morocco, Malawi, Mali, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Togo, and Vanuatu.
The World Health Organisation is an agency of the United Nations which was formed on 7 April 1948.
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Members: 194 countries
Director General : Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus