Vietnam successfully eliminates trachoma: WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on October 21 that Vietnam has eliminated trachoma, a contagious, bacterial disease that may eventually lead to blindness. This remarkable achievement was validated by the WHO and a plaque was presented to Deputy Minister of Health of Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong at the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, which opened on October 21 in Manila, the Philippines.
Historical surveys revealed that trachoma posed a public health threat in four provinces in Vietnam. Thirty years ago, 1.7% of people in these high-risk areas needed surgery to avoid blindness from the disease. However, by 2023, this rate had dropped to below 0.2%, meeting the WHO’s threshold for eliminating trachoma as a public health issue. This achievement is attributed to ongoing surveillance and the implementation of the SAFE (short for ‘surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement’) strategy, which began in 1999.
