WHO validates Mauritania for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem
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WHO validates Mauritania for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem
The World Health Organization has validated Mauritania as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Mauritania is the seventh country in WHO’s African Region to achieve this significant milestone. Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It is found mainly in the poorest and most rural areas of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, the Western Pacific and the Middle East. The African Region is disproportionately affected by the disease with 93 million people living in at-risk areas in April 2024, representing 90% of the global burden. The number of people requiring antibiotic treatment for the disease in the African Region fell by 96 million from 189 million in 2014 to 93 million as of April 2024. There are now 20 countries in WHO’s African Region that are targeting trchoma elimination. The country had already been certified free of dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease) transmission in 2009. Globally, Mauritania joins 21 other countries that have been validated by WHO for having eliminatedtrachoma. These are Benin, Cambodia, China, Ghana, India, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Source: Who.int | Read full article
Eliminating Blindness from Trachoma Is in Sight
Trachoma is one of the enduring neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that infect more than one billion people globally. It spreads from person to person and through infected flies, and thrives in areas with water shortages and poor sanitation. The World Health Organization validated Gambia for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, the third African nation to do so. The WHO’s SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement) strategy addresses both prevention and treatment, but its comprehensive approach requires a coordinated effort and resources. The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) created a antibiotic program that helps clear oral antibiotics through mass drug administrations through mass-administered drug administrations. It also demonstrates that private-public collaborations are effective and that success in countries is within other reach. There is no quick fix for eliminating the disease, but long-term commitments from global donors and global partners have been essential for driving steady but persistent gains in the fight against trichiasis.
Source: Thinkglobalhealth.org | Read full article
Malawi Eliminates Trachoma as a Public Health Problem
The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Malawi as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Malawi is the fourth country in WHO’s African Region after Ghana (June 2018), Gambia (April 2021) and Togo (May 2022) to achieve this significant milestone. Trachoma remains endemic in 25 countries in WHO’s African Region, bringing us closer towards the elimination target set out in the NTD road map 2021–2030. The African Region is disproportionately affected with 105 million people living in at-risk areas, representing 84% of the global trachomatis burden. The disease is the leading infectious cause of blindness and is caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trichomatis. In adults, women are twice as likely than men to be affected by the blinding complications of trchoma. In some individuals, some individuals infected with trichiasis can lead to scarring of the inner side of the upper eyelids, which leads to extreme eyelashes on the upper side.
Source: Who.int | Read full article
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Source: https://www.who.int/news/item/19-05-2025-who-validates-mauritania-for-eliminating-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem