Targetting Trachoma
IT is good news for many Nepalese especially
in the far-western terai parts of Nepal who have been, and are potential, victims of the
trachoma that a major initiative is now under way to control the eye disease in the
country. A multi-pronged initiative called SAFE Nepal, launched by Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba Wednesday, will try to save hundreds of thousands of Nepalese from trachoma,
identified as the country’s second-leading cause of blindness by Nepal’s first
survey on eye health undertaken in 1981. The justification for major anti-trachoma
campaign comes from the stark facts established by various surveys down the years. It has
been found that trachoma is clustered geographically, with the highest prevalence in
far-western region of the terai. Fifty per cent of trachoma cases were found within a 100
km radius and 90 per cent within a 200 km radius of Nepalgunj in Banke district. According
to a survey, Bheri and Seti has trachoma prevalence of 26.6 per cent, almost four times
the national rate. Additionally, certain ethnic groups were found to be disproportionately
affected notably Tharus, Thakuri, Magar and Gurung with the highest prevalence among the
Tharu communities. On the basis of such findings, SAFE Nepal, which is a joint undertaking
of International Trachoma Initiative and Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh will target seven
districts viz. Kalilali, Kanchanpur, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Surkhet, Dailekh and Jajarkot.
There is reason to hope that the severity of the trachoma in
these areas could be considerably lessened with the help of such a campaign-like scheme
which will, among other things, provide training to health workers in screening for
trachoma and in advanced surgical techniques. The challenge in containing trachoma lies in
the fact that it is easily transmitted from person to person. As it first occurs in
children, women, who are in close contact with children, are likely to be blinded by
trachoma two to three times often than men. Given this, spreading awareness about the
causes of trachoma has to receive a major push, apart from the curative approach. SAFE
stands for a four-pronged strategy to fight trachoma—surgery, antibiotics, face
washing and environmental changes to increase access to clean and water and improved
sanitation. The success of the campaign also depends on how Nepal’s hospitals and
health posts, particularly in the trachoma-hit areas, are sensitised and equipped to deal
with it. The scheme must leave positive, sustainable marks on the general eye care health
system for a continued battle to eventually eradicate the disease.
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