Context
Malawi has become the first country in southern Africa to eliminate trachoma, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced September 21, 2022.
- This makes Malawi the fourth country in WHO's Africa region to achieve this milestone after Ghana (June 2018), Gambia (April 2021) and Togo (May 2022).
What is Trachoma?
- It is a bacterial eye infection that damages the eye lids.
- Trachoma is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- It causes the eye lashes to turn inwards.
- It leads to irreversible vision losses and blindness if not corrected with surgery.
- Trachoma is caused by bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.
What causes Trachoma?
- Trachoma is caused due to poor environmental and personal hygiene.
- This mainly occurs when the person faces inadequate access to water and sanitation.
Background
- The World Health Organisation launched a roadmap of Global Targets to tackle twenty Neglected Tropical Diseases including Trachoma.
- The roadmap aims to eliminate all the twenty diseases by 2030.
Trachoma in India
- India became free from Trachoma in 2017.
- According to the National Trachoma Survey Report, the overall prevalence of Trachoma was 0.7% in the country.
- This is much below the elimination criteria defined by the World Health Organisation.
