Vanuatu has completely eradicated the blindness-causing disease trachoma, thanks to a mass simultaneous treatment by Australia's Fred Hollows Foundation across the island nation. It is the first Pacific country to do so, following funding from the government's Australian NGO Cooperation Program and the UK government. "We did all six provinces in the same month," the World Health Organisation's neglected tropical disease (NTD) spokesperson for Vanuatu, Fasihah Taleo, told AAP. "Unlike the Solomon Islands who did province by province, we wanted to cut the transmission at one time period. "We did six provinces, 290,000 people, in one month." Trachoma is caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and transmitted by close contact. It is particularly prevalent in women and children and also often transmitted by flies. "You might have red eye or pus coming out from your eyes, they might be watering," Ms Taleo explained. "There's dirty discharge coming out of your eyes. It also causes scarring under your eyelids. Then there is alarms going and if you are not treated it can go severe and that's when you can cause blindness." Despite working in public health for Vanuatu's ministry of health and WHO for many years, Ms Taleo was at first unconvinced it was a major issue for the country. "I told them I didn't see many blindness in Vanuatu. I said, 'I don't think we have this disease severely'," she said. But a survey discovered a prevalence in the community, particularly in children under nine, who were not yet severe. Eradicating the disease at this stage may have saved the sight of many, with community leaders and health workers involved in rolling out the mass campaign very happy with the result, says Ms Taleo, who is still on the ground working on an intestinal worms and scabies treatment program. "For them to bring this news to the community level, they know that by supporting the health team going around giving the medicines, this is what they achieve." Fred Hollows Foundation CEO Ian Wishart congratulated Vanuatu on the achievement saying trachoma was "an ancient disease that should not exist today". International Coalition for Trachoma Control chair Angelia Sanders says it's encouraging news for other Pacific nations. "Vanuatu's success ... should provide optimism across the region that the global NTD road map target to eliminate trachoma can be achieved by 2030," she said in a statement. Australian Associated Press
