Pakistan is 19th country worldwide to eliminate trachoma

Pakistan is the latest country to eliminate the eye disease trachoma as a public health problem, with support from Sightsavers and other partners.

Pakistan’s achievement in eliminating trachoma means that around 3.7 million people in the country will no longer be at risk of contracting the disease.

Munazza Gillani, Sightsavers’ director for Pakistan and the Middle East, said: “Right from the beginning, Sightsavers has been deeply committed to the effort to rid Pakistan of this debilitating disease.

“It’s an incredibly proud moment for us, and we want to congratulate the Ministry of Health and all those involved in such huge, concerted efforts to make sure that millions of people are no longer at risk of losing their sight to trachoma.

“However, we must not become complacent. Trachoma can still return unless we sustain efforts to maintain awareness of the disease among communities and health staff. Let’s keep up the great work!”

Sightsavers began working alongside the government of Pakistan to beat trachoma in 2001. Since that time, Sightsavers has trained 1,767 health workers to identify trachoma cases and trained eight surgeons to carry out operations for advanced trachoma.

The organisation has also helped to distribute 500,000 doses of medication to protect people from the disease, and built 500 latrines to improve sanitation and hygiene for communities.

Sightsavers remains committed to eliminating trachoma across the other countries where it works, including through the large-scale Accelerate programme in sub-Saharan Africa.