What is Trachoma?

About Trachoma: 

• It is a bacterial infection that affects the eyes.
• It is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis.
• How does it spread?
  • It is contagious; spreading through contact with the eyes, eyelids, nose or throat secretions of infected people, if left untreated it causes irreversible blindness.
• It is found in communities who are living in poor environmental conditions.
• WHO has termed Trachoma as a neglected tropical disease and its estimation suggest that 150 million people worldwide are affected by Trachoma and 6 million of them are blind or at risk of visually disabling complications.
• Initiatives of Government of India
  • The Government of India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963 and later on Trachoma control efforts were integrated into India’s National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB).
  • As a result, in 2017, India was declared free from infective 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 National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) from 2021-24, which was a mandate set by WHO in order to declare that India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem.
• To eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, WHO recommends the SAFE strategy.
  • The SAFE strategy includes: Surgery to treat the blinding stage (trachomatous trichiasis); Antibiotics to clear the infection, particularly the antibiotic azithromycin; Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement, particularly improving access to water and sanitation.
• The 17 other countries that have eliminated trachoma are: Benin, Cambodia, China, Gambia, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Togo and Vanuatu.

Q1: What are Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)?

These are a diverse group of tropical infections which are common in low-income populations in developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa and parasitic worms (helminths).

Source: WHO declares that India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem in 2024