New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the third country in the South-East Asia Region to achieve this milestone. An official certification was handed over to Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, by Saima Wazed, Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia, during the WHO South-East Asia Region's Regional Committee meeting held in New Delhi today.

Trachoma is a bacterial infection of the eyes caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It is contagious and spreads through contact with the eyes, eyelids, or secretions from the nose or throat of infected individuals. If left untreated, it can lead to irreversible blindness. WHO classifies trachoma as a neglected tropical disease, with an estimated 150 million people worldwide affected and 6 million either blind or at risk of vision loss due to trachoma-related complications. Trachoma primarily affects underprivileged communities living in poor environmental conditions.

Trachoma was a leading cause of blindness in India during the 1950s and 1960s. In response, the Government of India launched the National Trachoma Control Program in 1963, which later became part of India’s National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB).

In 1971, blindness caused by trachoma stood at 5%, but thanks to interventions under the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), it has now dropped to less than 1%. India implemented WHO's SAFE strategy (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial hygiene, and Environmental cleanliness) across the country, and in 2017, India was declared free of infective trachoma. Surveillance for trachoma cases continued from 2019 to 2024.

The National Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT only) Survey was conducted in 200 endemic districts across India from 2021 to 2024 under the NPCBVI, meeting WHO's mandate for declaring trachoma elimination as a public health problem. The compiled reports were submitted to WHO for review, leading to this achievement.

After years of concerted efforts, WHO has now officially declared that India has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. 

BI Bureau