End the Neglect

A blog of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Archive for the ‘Trachoma’ category

SAFEly WASHing away blinding trachoma

May 1st, 2013

By Helen Hamilton, Sightsavers and Yael Velleman, WaterAid

Last week, as the global trachoma-community gathered in Geneva for GET2020 (the WHO-led international Alliance for Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020) there was a significant, and now permanent, addition to the agenda – WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene). As we move closer to the 2020 elimination goal for this blinding NTD, it was exciting to see water, sanitation and hygiene being given due importance, with its own roundtable session.

So why was this one session such an important milestone? Trachoma is spread where poverty and poor sanitary conditions persist. Despite the fact that two of the four elements of the WHO endorsed SAFE strategy to control and eliminate blinding trachoma (Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvements) rely on successful implementation of WASH interventions, the implementation of the F and E components of SAFE is frequently under-prioritised in planning and implementation of trachoma programmes.

At GET2020 we saw water, sanitation and hygiene come up again and again in all country presentations. Face washing and environmental improvements are consistently the most challenging action areas within the SAFE strategy implementation. Although one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) focuses on improving access to clean water and sanitation, with less than three years to go until the MDG deadline there are currently 2.5 billion people with no access to improved sanitation. » Read more: SAFEly WASHing away blinding trachoma

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Posted in Trachoma

A Minute with NTD expert: Ellen Agler, Chief Executive Officer of the END Fund

March 4th, 2013

At the recent “Uniting to Combat NTDs: Translating the London Declaration into Action,” we had a chance to catch up with Ellen Agler, Chief Executive Officer of the END Fund. The END Fund is a private philanthropic fund mobilizing resources for neglected tropical diseases in Africa.

Global Network: What does it take for exposed individuals to fight NTDs?

Ellen Agler: When I was in Mali, I also got a chance to see in addition to the mass drug administration other aspects of the program. There is a huge backlog of trichiasis surgery. Blinding trachoma, if it starts advancing, it is incredibly painful… It feels like sand going over your cornea, and you will go blind if you don’t get this surgery in the advanced stages.

And to see how simple of a surgery it was- that it really only took 10 or 15 minutes. [END Fund] do have this incredible message of about 50 cents per person per year can protect you against these seven diseases that cause disability, cause suffering, cause blindness, and really change the trajectory of your life. And that is a simple message, and I think that we’re all rallying to ensure that we can prevent these diseases, we can treat them in the early stage so that no one has to suffer those diseases.

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Posted in END Fund, Global Development, Global Health, Just 50 Cents, NTD Controll, NTD Enlightment, NTDs, poverty, River blindness, Trachoma

The End is in Sight: Progress towards Trachoma Control and Elimination

February 11th, 2013

Trachoma is one of the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness, affecting populations prone to poverty and with limited access to clean water and sanitation. While the disease is primarily transmitted through contact with the infected person’s eye discharge, it can also be carried through flies. As a bacterial infection, trachoma causes scarring on the inside of an eyelid and repeated exposure can eventually lead to trichiasis, when the eyelids turn inwards. The impacts of trichiasis over time – eyelashes scraping against the cornea each time the eye blinks – leads to blindness.

This devastating disease is most commonly found in poor communities, often in Africa and Asia. However, in a recent publication discussing the need for elimination and control of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including trachoma, Sabin president Dr. Peter Hotez and his co-authors stressed the high rates of disease burden in the Oceania region (Australia and the Pacific Islands).

In an interview with Girish Sawlani of ABC Radio Australia, Dr. Hotez discussed the unexpectedly high rate of NTDs within populous and poor regions in Oceania, such as Papua New Guinea and the Aboriginal populations in Australia. He compared his concern for the “hidden burden of disease” to the exposure of NTDs in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Trachoma currently impacts approximately 41 million people across 57 different countries that don’t have access to proper resources or knowledge that would assist in reducing exposure to the disease.

In spite of the highly endemic situation, strides have been made to control or even eliminate trachoma across various platforms. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been using a comprehensive public health strategy, better known as SAFE, to treat trachoma patients through a combination of surgery (S), antibiotics (A), facial cleanliness (F) and environmental educational efforts (E). In Australia, professor of indigenous eye health at Melbourne University, Hugh Taylor, has further encouraged research and action against trachoma. Taylor estimates that trachoma and related blindness can be “virtually eliminated in five years” with access to appropriate funds in Australia.

The cooperation between organizations working to control trachoma in the Oceanic region and government aid figures will play a critical role in not only improving health concerns, but also addressing issues regarding the economy and social action. AusAID is currently working with organizations, such as the Fred Hollows Foundation, to strengthen partnerships and stimulate research and action in order to bring an end to the spread of trachoma in the region.

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Posted in END Fund, END7, Global Development, Global Health, health information systems, healthcare, Trachoma

Can an antibiotic help a child grow?

January 22nd, 2013

This blog was re-posted with permission from the Inter-American Development Bank’s blog First Steps, a blog that talks about child development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

By Agustin Caceres

Antibiotics are known for helping control bacterial infections in both children and adults. But antibiotics are also known for some of their side effects: diarrhea, allergic reactions, collateral infections… But what if an antibiotic could have a positive side effect in the development of malnourished children aged 1-5 in developing countries? I read about this idea when I found an article published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which talks about some unexpected findings related to the use of one of the most commonly-used antibiotics, azithromycin. This drug is widely used to fight trachoma, a Neglected Tropical Disease that is sadly the most common infectious cause of blindness, and that still affects poor communities in some areas of Latin America like Chiapas (Mexico) and Southern Colombia.

This antibiotic has proven effective in the treatment of this disease thanks to different studies since the early 90s. But the surprise came when three years ago, a study published at University of California in San Francisco showed that all-cause mortality in children aged 1-5 years was reduced by almost 50% in Ethiopian communities in which all children received an annual dose of azithromycin.

Now, a team lead by Professor David Mabey has been awarded a $10m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to study the impact of the antibiotic on child mortality in three countries in Africa: Niger, Tanzania and Malawi. The funds will support the study of the mechanism underlying this finding, by looking at the effect of azithromycin on the function of the bowel, the absorption of nutrients, and on the growth of babies in Malawi.

Hopefully this study will help find a new solution to the challenge of identifying the causes of slow growth during the first 1,000 days of life of a little boy or girl. The positive effects of deworming among children and the use of micronutrients have been widely demonstrated. What if this antibiotic could reduce multiple infections and therefore help absorb nutrients better, improving the growth and early development of kids? Stay tuned to the work of these researchers to find out more.

Agustin Caceres is a Communications and Outreach consultant at the Social Protection and Health Division of the IDB in Washington DC.