India eliminates Trachoma & makes big strides in Malaria fight

India eliminates trachoma as a public health problem while advancing efforts to reduce malaria, marking a major milestone in disease control.

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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken various steps under the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) to eliminate Trachoma. As suggested by World Health Organization (WHO) Neglected tropical disease team, WHO SAFE strategy was implemented throughout the country, wherein WHO SAFE stands for adoption of surgery, antibiotics, facial hygiene and environmental cleanliness.

Since 2019 onwards, the NPCBVI has developed continuous surveillance setup for trachoma cases by collecting case reports from all the districts in the country via specific WHO-shared format. National Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT only) survey was done in 200 endemic districts of the country under NPCBVI during 2021-24, which was a mandate set by WHO.