Trachoma has been officially eliminated from India. A bacterial eye infection, trachoma was a leading cause of blindness among Indians in the late 1950s. According to the World Health Organisation, it has been eliminated in India as a public health emergency. The WHO facilitated India for the feat which was achieved only by Nepal and Myanmar in the region.
An official certification was handed over to Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare by Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South East Asia during the WHO’s South East Asia Region, Regional Committee meeting held in the national capital.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. This debilitating disease used to cause eye problems to millions of people. We congratulate India for this. Let us tell you that WHO along with the Government of India made efforts to eliminate trachoma. Earlier, India has eliminated diseases like plague, leprosy, and polio.”
What is trachoma?
Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection prevalent mainly among underprivileged communities living in poor environmental conditions.
What causes Trachoma?
Trachoma is a bacterial infection which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia Trachomatis. Trachoma is contagious, spreading through contact with the eyes, eyelids, nose or throat secretions of infected people, if left untreated it causes irreversible blindness.
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Trachoma symptoms and spread
This infectious disease primarily affects the eyes, leading to roughening of the inner surface of the eyelids. If left untreated, it can cause severe pain, corneal damage, and eventually blindness. Blindness from trachoma is irreversible.
The disease spreads through direct contact with eye, nose, or throat secretions from infected individuals, or indirectly through flies that have been in contact with these secretions. The symptoms of trachoma include itching and irritation of the eyes and eyelids, discharge from the eyes, and sensitivity to light. According to the WHO, in advanced stages, it can cause the eyelids to turn inward, a condition known as trichiasis, where the eyelashes rub against the eyeball, causing pain and further damage.
Trachoma, a neglected tropical disease
According to WHO, nearly 150 million people worldwide are affected by trachoma, which is a neglected tropical disease. According to WHO, nearly 150 million people were hit by this contagious eye infection, which left nearly six million of them without eyesight. Many trachoma patients are the risk of visually disabling complications.
Trachoma in India
In India, people suffered from the infection most during 1950-60. To curb the rising cases of trachoma, the Indian government launched the National Trachoma Control Programme in 1963 and later on trachoma control efforts were integrated into India’s National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB).
Reduction in Trachoma cases
Trachoma cases reduced significantly after the government initiatives and reached five per cent in 1971. The number of cases has reduced significantly and come within one per cent at present as a result of various interventions under the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI). WHO defines elimination of trachoma as a public health problem when the prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis is less than 0.2 per cent in people aged 15 years and above, and the prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 1-9 years is less than 5 per cent.
India trachoma-free in 2017
India was declared free from trachoma in 2017 after the WHO SAFE strategy was implemented throughout the country. Under the strategy, different measures, such as surgery, antibiotics, facial hygiene, and environmental cleanliness, were adopted to eliminate trachoma. However, surveillance continued for trachoma cases in all the districts of India from 2019 onwards until 2024, until finally it was removed from the list of public health emergencies in the country.
Trachoma elimination in India
WHO declared India free from trachoma and acknowledged its success in eliminating the disease as a public health issue after the National Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT only) Survey, which was also carried out in 200 endemic districts of the country under 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.
All the reports were compiled in a specific dossier format by the NPCBVI team and were shared with the WHO country office for final scrutiny. Finally, after years of fighting against trachoma, WHO declared that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.
