India has Eliminated Trachoma
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the Government of India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem, becoming the third country in the Southeast Asia Region to achieve this milestone.
Trachoma is a bacterial infection that affects the eyes. It is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis. Trachoma is contagious, spreading through contact with infected people’s eyes, eyelids, nose, or throat secretions; if left untreated, it causes irreversible blindness.
WHO has termed Trachoma as a neglected tropical disease. WHO estimates suggest that 150 million people worldwide are affected by Trachoma, and 6 million of them are blind or at risk of visually disabling complications. Trachoma is found in underprivileged communities living in poor environmental conditions.
Trachoma was the leading cause of blindness in the country during 1950-60. The Government of India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963, and later, Trachoma control efforts were integrated into India’s National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB).
In 1971, the incidence of blindness due to Trachoma was 5%. Due to the various interventions under the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), it has come down to less than 1%. The WHO SAFE strategy was implemented throughout the country, and SAFE stands for adopting surgery, antibiotics, facial hygiene, environmental cleanliness, etc. As a result, in 2017, India was declared free from infectious Trachoma. However, surveillance continued for trachoma cases in all the districts of India from 2019 onwards till 2024.
The National Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT only) Survey was also carried out in 200 endemic districts of the country under NPCBVI from 2021-24, which was mandated by WHO to declare that India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem.
The NPCBVI team compiled all the reports in a specific dossier format and shared them with the WHO country office for final scrutiny. Finally, after years of fighting against Trachoma, the WHO declared that India had eliminated it as a public health problem.
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