Cambodia and Laos conquer trachoma in regional first

The positive result is due to intensive campaigns waged by the countries’ governments and private sectors to address the probl, after the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by the year 2020 (GET2020).In Cambodia, the government rolled out trachoma control activities, which included provision of trichiasis surgery, treatment of communities, and health education. Meanwhile in neighbouring Laos, trachoma screening and treatment services provided through the country’s health syst have been effective.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: By eliminating this disease, our children can now grow up safe from this painful and potentially blinding infection, -WHO:Dr Bounkong Syhavong, Laos Health Minister}}The disease had previously been neglected in the region and its transmission is closely linked with poor sanitation and hygiene. However, ongoing improvents in living standards, water supply, sanitation and hygiene in both countries helped contribute to its marked decline.“Trachoma is a disease of poverty. Communities that don’t have good access to safe water and sanitation are the hardest hit. But it is possible to tackle this public health probl, as Cambodia and the Lao People’s Docratic Republic have done, by making the right investments to protect peoples’ health,” WHO regional director for the Western Pacific Dr Shin Young-soo said.Laos Health Minister Dr Bounkong Syhavong also lauded the achievent and said it would benefit the country for decades to come.“Blinding trachoma used to be endic in the Lao People’s Docratic Republic. It was particularly common among preschool-aged children, with prevalence as high as 60–90% in some areas. By eliminating this disease, our children can now grow up safe from this painful and potentially blinding infection,” he said.WHO validates the elimination of trachoma as a public health probl when a country can show that less than 5% of children aged 1–9 years have signs of active trachoma, less than 0.2% of people over 15 years have trachomatous trichiasis – a more advanced form of disease requiring eyelid surgery – and that its health syst can identify and manage any new cases of trichiasis.