India Clears the Vision: Bags WHO Recognition for Trachoma Elimination at 78th Assembly

India has been presented with the prestigious Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The certificate was presented by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to the Indian delegation led by Punya Salila Srivastava and is a milestone in India's fight against avoidable blindness.

 

Trachoma, an infectious eye disease that was a major cause of blindness in India once, has been tackled by decades of targeted interventions, improved sanitation, and robust public health efforts. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hailed the achievement as a testament to India's commitment to disease elimination and leadership in international health.

 

This places India as the third country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to have eliminated trachoma, following Nepal and Myanmar. The acknowledgement underscores India's dedication to "Health for All" and its growing role as a leader in global public health governance.

 

Source: Business Standard, PIB, Devdiscourse