{"id":42929,"date":"2024-10-13T02:02:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-12T20:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=42929"},"modified":"2025-05-05T21:38:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T16:08:12","slug":"who-declares-india-trachoma-free-a-milestone-in-public-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/who-declares-india-trachoma-free-a-milestone-in-public-health\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO Declares India Trachoma-Free: A Milestone in Public Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in News?<\/li>\n<li>What is Trachoma?<\/li>\n<li>Why was trachoma such a challenge in India?<\/li>\n<li>How did Indian govt address the issue of Trachoma?<\/li>\n<li>What does WHO declaring India trachoma-free mean?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the Government of India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem. With this, India has become the third country in the South-East Asia Region to achieve this milestone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What is Trachoma?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>About<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Trachoma<\/strong> is the leading infectious cause of blindness globally.<\/li>\n<li>It caused by <i><strong>Chlamydia trachomatis<\/strong><\/i>, and is spread by direct or indirect contact with eye or nose discharges, especially in young children.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In endemic areas, up to 90% of preschool-aged children can be affected, with infection declining with age.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Symptoms<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Repeated infections over time can lead to scarring inside the eyelid, causing the eyelashes to rub against the eye (trachomatous trichiasis), which leads to pain, corneal scarring, and ultimately blindness.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Women are at higher risk due to frequent contact with infected children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Transmission factors and prevalence<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Transmission factors include inadequate hygiene, crowded living conditions, and limited access to clean water and sanitation.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>WHO has termed Trachoma as a neglected tropical disease.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>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.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It remains prevalent in rural areas of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Middle East, with Africa being the worst affected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Efforts to eliminate trachoma<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Global efforts to eliminate trachoma are driven by WHO\u2019s SAFE strategy, which includes:\n<ul>\n<li>Surgery for trichiasis,<\/li>\n<li>Antibiotics like azithromycin for mass treatment,<\/li>\n<li>Facial cleanliness, and<\/li>\n<li>Environmental improvements, such as better water and sanitation access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>WHO adopted the SAFE strategy in 1993 and launched the WHO Alliance for Global Elimination of Trachoma in 1996.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The World Health Assembly has <strong>set 2030 as the new target date for eliminating trachoma as a public health issue globally<\/strong>.\n<ul>\n<li>By October 2024, 20 countries had eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Economic losses from blindness and visual impairment due to trachoma are estimated at $2.9\u20135.3 billion annually.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Why was trachoma such a challenge in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>High Prevalence in Specific States<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Trachoma posed a significant challenge in India as it frequently resurfaced in new communities.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It was a leading cause of blindness in hyper-endemic regions like Punjab, Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Garhwal (Uttarakhand) between 1971 and 1974, where the prevalence exceeded 50%.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>These areas were heavily impacted by the disease, making control efforts difficult.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduction in Trachoma Prevalence<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>By 2005, trachoma accounted for only 4% of blindness cases in India.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>A survey conducted in 2006-2007 indicated a significant decline in prevalence, prompting the Indian government to conduct a rapid assessment in hyper-endemic states.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>How did Indian govt address the issue of Trachoma?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Trachoma was amongst the leading cause of blindness in the country during 1950-60.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Government of India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963 and later on Trachoma control efforts were integrated into India\u2019s <strong>National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>In 1971, blindness due to Trachoma was 5% and today, owing to the various interventions under the <strong>National Programme for Control of Blindness &amp; Visual Impairment (NPCBVI)<\/strong>, it has come down to less than 1%.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>WHO SAFE strategy<\/strong> was implemented throughout the country wherein SAFE stands for adoption of surgery, antibiotics, facial hygiene, environmental cleanliness etc.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>As a result, in 2017, India was declared free from infective Trachoma.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>However, surveillance continued for trachoma cases in all the districts of India from 2019 onwards till 2024.\n<ul>\n<li>Programs like Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission played a vital role in eradicating the disease and ensuring a trachoma-free future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Validation and Elimination<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The National Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT only) Survey was conducted from 2021 to 2024 across 200 endemic districts as part of the NPCBVI, following WHO&#8217;s guidelines for trachoma elimination.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The NPCBVI team compiled all findings into a dossier, which was submitted to the WHO for final review.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>After years of dedicated efforts, WHO officially declared that India had successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>What does WHO declaring India trachoma-free mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>WHO declaring India trachoma-free signifies a major public health achievement, marking an improvement in the country&#8217;s water, sanitation, and hygiene standards.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>According to experts, trachoma is often linked to poor sanitation, a common issue in developing countries.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>With its elimination, India has reached &#8220;gold-tier&#8221; public health status, demonstrating significant progress in addressing these challenges and enhancing overall health conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q.1. How did India eliminate trachoma as a public health problem?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>India eliminated trachoma through the implementation of WHO&#8217;s SAFE strategy, including surgery, antibiotic distribution, hygiene promotion, and sanitation improvements, supported by initiatives like Swachh Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q.2. What does WHO\u2019s declaration of India being trachoma-free signify?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>WHO&#8217;s declaration marks a major public health achievement for India, reflecting significant improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene standards, helping the country reach a &#8220;gold-tier&#8221; public health status<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2063310&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>WHO declares that India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem in 2024<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/trachoma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>WHO<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livemint.com\/science\/health\/india-eliminates-trachoma-one-of-the-leading-causes-of-blindness-as-public-health-problem-11728436942056.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>Live Mint<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2024, WHO declared India free from trachoma, a leading cause of blindness. Learn how India tackled this public health challenge through the SAFE strategy and key government initiatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":42930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-42929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}