India has eliminated trachoma, says WHO - The Hindu

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now recognised that India has successfully eliminated trachoma, a bacterial infection that affects the eyes, as a public health problem.

Trachoma

• About: A disease of the eye caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis considered as a public health problem in 42 countries, and causes blindness/ visual impairment of 1.9 million people.
• Causes irreversible blindness: It is a neglected tropical disease and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.
• Transmission: Infection spreads through personal contact (via hands, clothes, bedding or hard surfaces) and by flies that have been in contact with discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person.
• SAFE strategy: Recommended by WHO to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem which includes: 
  • Surgery to treat the blinding stage (trachomatous trichiasis); 
  • Antibiotics to clear the infection, particularly the antibiotic azithromycin; 
  • Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement, particularly improving access to water and sanitation.