SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday announced that Iraq have eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the fifth country in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve this milestone.
“The success of Iraq’s national trachoma programme has shown what can be achieved with national leadership and collaboration”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Freedom from trachoma will positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable populations now and in the future,” he said.
Iraq established its national trachoma programme in 2012 to coordinate the final domestic push against the disease.
Trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, is still known to be endemic in six countries of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease. It is caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.
The disease spreads from person to person through contaminated fingers, fomites and flies that have come into contact with discharge from the eyes or nose of an infected person.
Environmental risk factors for trachoma transmission include poor hygiene, overcrowded households, and inadequate access to water and sanitation.
