Interactive media is part of the new wave of organizational communication methods and a wonderful example of this has been launched today with the new global atlas of trachoma called Trachoma Atlas. Trachoma Atlas is the brainchild of several collaborating partners including the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the International Trachoma Initiative at The Task Force for Global Health, Atlanta, GA and The Carter Center in Atlanta, GA. They are funded by a generous donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This atlas contributes to improved global health information exchange systems because “the open-access, global resource is intended for public health professionals and managers of trachoma-control programs as well as the general public interested in learning about this infectious eye disease and the possible global elimination of blinding trachoma by 2020. ” The team sought to address the need for current and publicly accessible maps of trachoma distribution by consolidating data from a number of sources. The data was compiled from countries that are actively battling trachoma. It maps the magnitude of trachoma,the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness in each region

Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) however, the launch of this new atlas is an opportunity to transform neglect into attention and elimination. The Trachoma Atlas is a big leap forward towards NTD eradication as “mapping and assessing the magnitude of blinding trachoma is critical to defining which areas are priority for implementation of control efforts, how to monitor changes, and how to advocate for prevention and treatment. ”

Check out the website here!