The World Health Organisation (WHO) has validated Nepal for having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem – a milestone, as the country becomes the first in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to defeat the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.
A letter acknowledging validation was presented yesterday to the minister of State for Health and Population Padma Kumari Aryal by the WHO South-East Asia Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh and the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Health Assembly is taking place.
"Nepal’s achievement is commendable and results from strong political commitment, intense community engagement and impressive leadership demonstrated by civil society,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said on the occasion.
"This remarkable achievement demonstrates what political commitment and sustained partner support can do,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “It is a big step towards health for everyone and comes at a time when Nepal accelerates its fight against other neglected tropical diseases."
In 2002, Nepal stepped up its efforts to eliminate the disease with the establishment of a national trachoma programme. From 2002 to 2005, following the implementation of sustained control activities, the prevalence of active – inflammatory – trachoma fell by 40 per cent.
The government – through the ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation – provided incentives to local communities and districts to build and maintain latrines, measures that were crucial to improving sanitation and reducing disease-carrying flies.
The national trachoma programme collaborated with the Education Ministry to include a module on trachoma in the school curriculum to increase awareness.
"We managed to accelerate awareness about the disease and sanitation through education campaigns involving brochures, posters, flipcharts, radio announcements, and programmes in schools and village health centres,” executive director of Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh Sailesh Mishra said, adding that these were run by teachers and local health volunteers.
Approximately 30,000 operations were provided to manage trichiasis, and almost 15 million doses of azithromycin were distributed. Between 2002 and 2014, eye hospitals and dozens of eye centres and clinics with trained staff were established across Nepal.
Azithromycin is donated by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer through the International Trachoma Initiative and was delivered in Nepal by Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh with support from the United States Agency for International Development-funded ENVISION project, implemented by RTI International.
A letter acknowledging validation was presented yesterday to the minister of State for Health and Population Padma Kumari Aryal by the WHO South-East Asia Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh and the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland, where the World Health Assembly is taking place.
"Nepal’s achievement is commendable and results from strong political commitment, intense community engagement and impressive leadership demonstrated by civil society,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said on the occasion.
"This remarkable achievement demonstrates what political commitment and sustained partner support can do,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “It is a big step towards health for everyone and comes at a time when Nepal accelerates its fight against other neglected tropical diseases."
In 2002, Nepal stepped up its efforts to eliminate the disease with the establishment of a national trachoma programme. From 2002 to 2005, following the implementation of sustained control activities, the prevalence of active – inflammatory – trachoma fell by 40 per cent.
The government – through the ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation – provided incentives to local communities and districts to build and maintain latrines, measures that were crucial to improving sanitation and reducing disease-carrying flies.
The national trachoma programme collaborated with the Education Ministry to include a module on trachoma in the school curriculum to increase awareness.
"We managed to accelerate awareness about the disease and sanitation through education campaigns involving brochures, posters, flipcharts, radio announcements, and programmes in schools and village health centres,” executive director of Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh Sailesh Mishra said, adding that these were run by teachers and local health volunteers.
Approximately 30,000 operations were provided to manage trichiasis, and almost 15 million doses of azithromycin were distributed. Between 2002 and 2014, eye hospitals and dozens of eye centres and clinics with trained staff were established across Nepal.
Azithromycin is donated by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer through the International Trachoma Initiative and was delivered in Nepal by Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh with support from the United States Agency for International Development-funded ENVISION project, implemented by RTI International.
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