It
has been stated “there is possibility that The Gambia can eliminate trachoma”
in the world campaign to combat the eye disease by 2020.
In
Africa, The Gambia, Mali and Ghana are said to be leading in trying to
eliminate trachoma.
However,
we have been advised not to rest on our laurels.
‘Being
at the level of elimination does not mean that we need to relax,” said Gambia’s
director of Health Promotion and Education.
We
have, therefore, tried to feature the trachoma disease and how it affects
people, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Trachoma
The
disease and how it affects people
Trachoma
is an infection of the eyes that may result in blindness after repeated
re-infections. It is the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness and
occurs where people live in overcrowded conditions with limited access to water
and health care. Trachoma spreads easily from person to person and is
frequently passed from child to child and from child to mother within the
family.
Infection
usually first occurs in childhood but people do not became blind until
adulthood. The disease progresses over years as repeated infections cause
scarring on the inside of the eyelid, earning it the name of the “quiet
disease” The eyelashes eventually turn in. This causes rubbing on the cornea at
the front of the eye. The cornea becomes scarred leading to severe vision loss and
eventually blindness.
The
cause
Trachoma
is caused by an organism called Chlamydia trachomatis. Through the discharge
from an infected child’s eyes, trachoma is passed on by hands, on clothing, or
by flies that land on the face of the infected child.
Distribution
Trachoma
occurs worldwide and most often in poor rural communities in developing
countries. Blinding trachoma is widespread in the Middle East, North and
Sub-Sahara Africa, parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southern Asia and China.
Pockets of blinding trachoma occur in Latin America, Australia (among native
Australians) and the Pacific Islands.
Scope
of the Problem
The
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that six million worldwide are blind
due to trachoma and more than 150 million people are in need of treatment.
Interventions
Primary
interventions advocated for preventing trachoma infection include improved
sanitation, reduction of fly breeding sites and increased facial cleanliness
(with clean water) among children at risk of disease. The scaring and visual
change for trachoma can be reversed by a simple surgical procedure performed at
village level which reverses the inturned eyelashes.
Good
personal and environmental hygiene has been proven to be successful in
combating trachoma. Encouraging the washing of children’s faces, improved
access to water, and proper disposal of human and animal waste has been shown
to decrease the number of trachoma infections in communities.
Global
Alliance for the Elimination of Trachoma by the year 2020 (GET 2020)
The
WHO along with an alliance of interested parties has adopted the “SAFE”
strategy to combat trachoma. The four components of the strategy include:
• Surgery
• Antibiotic treatment (Tetracycline
eye ointment new antibiotic, azithromycin has been tested in a number of
countries and initial results are very promising
• Facial cleanliness
• Environmental changes.
Source:
WHO
“
My eyes don’t work, at least not fully, because they are blocked by disease.
The scene around me appears through a kind of curtain, a haze. ”.
Henry
Grunwald