In 2011, ICTC developed a Trachoma Action Plan (TAP) planning guide to support national health officials in endemic countries. This resource was developed to complement the 2020 INSight roadmap by helping countries create specific national plans detailing how they will reach elimination targets in t ... heir own particular contexts. more

Trachoma is an eye infection that for thousands of years caused many people to go blind across all continents. As the result of development and targeted interventions, trachoma is now limited to an estimated 57 countries, often affecting the poorest populations of the world. Today, more than 2 mill ... ion people are either blind or suffer from a very painful disability as the result of trachoma. more

A key component of elimination is to reduce the number of unmanaged trachomatous trichiasis cases to less than 1 per 1,000 population in affected areas. This will require not only a large increase in the number of surgeries performed, but also improvements in the quality of surgery and in the e ... fficiency of surgery provision programs. It also will require that we make special efforts to reach out to women and the most marginalized populations, who are disproportionally affected by trichiasis (TT). more

Countries, partners, and donors are committed to the global elimination of blinding trachoma by 2020. Achieving this public health milestone requires more than funding; it requires health personnel with the right mix of skills, and well supported and managed health systems. Mass drug administratio ... n (MDA) with Zithromax®, the Pfizer, Inc. donated antibiotic, is a key component of the SAFE strategy, endorsed by the World Health Organization. There is growing recognition that improving all aspects of MDA, from planning to training, recording to reporting, and receipt of drug to distribution (the supply chain), will be necessary if MDA programmes are going to reduce the community burden of Chlamydia trachomatis, and eliminate trachoma as a cause of blindness by 2020. more