India Achieves Milestone in Public Health by Eliminating Trachoma

New Delhi: The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking the country as the third in the South-East Asia region to accomplish this significant achievement. Trachoma, a bacterial eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is contagious and spreads through contact with secretions from the eyes, eyelids, nose, or throat of infected individuals. If left untreated, this condition can lead to irreversible blindness.

The announcement was made during a formal address in the national capital on Tuesday by Saima Wajed, Regional Director of WHO’s South-East Asia Region, and was received by Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Mission Director of the National Health Mission. According to an official release, WHO has categorized trachoma as a neglected tropical disease, primarily affecting disadvantaged communities living in poor environmental conditions.

Historically, trachoma was one of the leading causes of blindness in India during the 1950s and 1960s. In response to this public health crisis, the Government of India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963, which was later integrated into the National Program for the Control of Blindness (NPCB). In 1971, trachoma accounted for five percent of blindness cases in the country. However, due to various interventions implemented under the National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), this figure has now been reduced to less than one percent.

The WHO SAFE strategy, which stands for Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement, was adopted nationwide to combat trachoma. Consequently, India was declared free of infectious trachoma in 2017. Despite this progress, the surveillance of trachoma cases has continued across all districts in India from 2019 to 2024. A national survey for trachomatous trichiasis (TT) was conducted in 200 endemic districts from 2021 to 2024, fulfilling a mandate set by the WHO to recognize the elimination of trachoma as a public health issue.

The reports generated from these efforts were compiled by the NPCBVI team in a specific dossier format and shared with the WHO country office for final verification. After years of dedicated efforts against trachoma, the WHO announced that India has successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.