India Eliminates Trachoma As A Public Health Problem: Receives WHO Certification

In the direction of public health achievement, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. India becomes the third country in the South-East Asia Region to reach this milestone. The announcement was made during the WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee meeting held in New Delhi. The certification was handed over to Smt Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, by Ms Saima Wazed, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia.

Trachoma, a bacterial eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is highly contagious and spreads through contact with infected eyes, eyelids, and nasal or throat secretions. If left untreated, it can lead to irreversible blindness. WHO has classified trachoma as a neglected tropical disease, with an estimated 150 million people affected worldwide, and nearly 6 million at risk of blindness due to the disease. Trachoma is particularly prevalent in underprivileged communities living in poor environmental and sanitary conditions.

In India, trachoma was a leading cause of blindness in the 1950s and 1960s. To combat the growing issue, the Government of India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963, which was later integrated into the National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB). By 1971, blindness caused by trachoma accounted for 5 per cent of all blindness cases in India. However, due to sustained efforts and interventions under the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), the incidence of blindness caused by trachoma has dropped to less than 1 per cent.

India's success in eliminating trachoma can be attributed to the implementation of WHO's SAFE strategy, which includes Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement. This comprehensive approach was implemented across the country, and in 2017, India was declared free from infective trachoma. However, surveillance of trachoma cases continued between 2019 and 2024 to ensure that the disease did not resurface.

Between 2021 and 2024, a National Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) survey was conducted in 200 endemic districts, as per WHO's mandate, to confirm the elimination. The data was compiled by NPCBVI and submitted to WHO for final evaluation. After a thorough review, WHO has certified that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a historic victory in the country’s fight against preventable blindness.

(Inputs are taken from Press Information Bureau)