India declared free from Trachoma, once a leading cause of blindness no longer a public health concern; Know about the disease

Trachoma, once a significant reason behind blindness in India at some point of the late 1950s, has been officially eliminated as a public health concern at some stage in the country, based on the World Health Organization (WHO). This achievement became recognized at some point of the WHO’s South-East Asia Region Regional Committee meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday. India now joins Nepal and Myanmar in taking away trachoma at some stage in the region.

The official certification became handed over to Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, by Saima Wazed, WHO South-East Asia’s Regional Director. This milestone underscores India’s progress in public health, specially through extensive efforts to offer a boost to hygiene, sanitation, and get entry to to healthcare products and services.

This feat marks a significant victory in India’s fight against preventable blindness, with trachoma not posing a threat to public health across the country.

What is Trachoma

Trachoma is a contagious bacterial eye infection resulting from Chlamydia trachomatis. If left untreated, it should maybe set off irreversible blindness. The infection is spread through direct contact with an infected person’s eyes, nose, or throat secretions. It predominantly affects people in underprivileged areas with poor hygiene and sanitation conditions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies trachoma as a not noted tropical disease, with an estimated 150 million people worldwide affected. Of these, 6 million are either blind or at risk of blindness as a consequence of the disease.

In India, trachoma became a significant reason behind blindness at some stage in the 1950s and Sixties. In response, the Government of India launched the National Trachoma Regulate Program in 1963, which later integrated with the National Program for Regulate of Blindness (NPCB). The implementation of WHO’s SAFE strategy (Surgical operation, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, Environmental improvement) played a essential role in decreasing trachoma cases. By 2017, India became declared free from infective trachoma. Surveillance continued across districts until 2024 to substantiate its eradication remained effective.

The decline of trachoma in India is a testament to effective public health interventions, decreasing blindness from trachoma to less than 1%, when compared with 5% in 1971.