The Health Ministry on Tuesday announced that India has received recognition from the World Health Organization for South-East Asia to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.

“An important milestone, it reaffirms the country’s commitment to eye health, disease prevention and universal health coverage,” a health ministry post on Twitter said. In 2017, India was declared free from infectious trachoma upon the launch of the National Trachoma Survey Report (2014–17).

The citation award was received by Aradhana Patnaik, Mission Director, National Health Mission.

Trachoma, a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. This infectious disease mainly affects the eyes, causing the inner surface of the eyelids to become rough.

If left untreated, it can cause severe pain, corneal damage, and eventually blindness. Blindness from trachoma is irreversible.

The disease is spread by direct contact with eye, nose, or throat secretions of infected individuals, or indirectly through flies that have been in contact with these secretions.

Symptoms of trachoma include itching and burning in the eyes and eyelids, discharge from the eyes, and sensitivity to light.

According to WHO, in advanced stages, this can cause the eyelashes to turn inwards, a condition known as trichiasis, where the eyelashes rub against the eyeball, causing pain and further damage.

India’s success in eliminating trachoma can be attributed to concerted efforts by the government, health workers, and community partnerships.

According to WHO, safe strategies for treating trachoma include surgery for trichiasis, antibiotics to clear the infection, facial cleaning, and environmental improvement to reduce transmission.

In 2019, AIIMS in collaboration with the National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment under the Ministry of Health released guidelines to implement the WHO SAFE Strategy for Trachoma Elimination.

WHO defines the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem when the prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis in people aged 15 years and older is less than 0.2%, and the prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 1–9 years. Is less than 5%.

As India celebrates this milestone, the Health Ministry is stressing on the importance of maintaining vigilance and efforts to prevent the re-emergence of trachoma.