| New
York, 9 October 2003 - As World Sight Day is observed
today around the globe, the well being of millions is threatened
by trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness.
In support of the global effort to eliminate trachoma, the International
Trachoma Initiative (ITI) and the Water Supply and Sanitation
Collaborative Council (WSSCC) have joined forces to strengthen
national efforts to improve access to water and sanitation and
redress the root cause of this debilitating disease. The
ITI and WSSCC initiative will enhance Face washing and Environmental
change: 'F' and 'E' components of the SAFE strategy including
Surgery, Antibiotics, Face washing and Environmental change.
The two international agencies will align country-based programs
to ensure synergy of action between country programs of ITI
and WSSCC. They will also launch an advocacy campaign in 2004
to raise political awareness about the role of WASH issues
- water, sanitation and hygiene - in reducing blinding trachoma.
ITI will join the WSSCC's "WASH Media Award" by
launching a "Trachoma Media Award" in order to encourage
more effective and numerous investigative reporting on trachoma.
Spread easily from person to person, trachoma is an infectious
disease that continues to plague the least advantaged communities,
primarily in Africa and Asia, particularly among people with
limited access to water and sanitation. Repeated bouts of
trachoma scar the upper eyelid, forcing the eyelashes to scratch
the cornea and eventually leading to blindness. This gradual
yet painful condition was a common scourge in Europe and North
America until the early 20th century when it disappeared as
a result of improved standards of living.
The ITI and WSSCC joint initiative will work on the early
success of ITI in pioneering large scale implementation of
the SAFE strategy, which is an integrated approach to the
treatment of blinding trachoma: Surgery to correct advanced
stages of the disease, Antibiotics to treat active infection,
using Pfizer-donated Zithromax, Face washing to reduce disease
transmission, and Environmental change to increase access
to clean water and improved sanitation to eliminate disease
altogether. The SAFE strategy is a mix of curative and preventative
measures, and has been successful in achieving widespread
reduction of blinding trachoma in nine countries in Africa
and Asia (Morocco, Tanzania, Ghana, Mali, Sudan, Vietnam,
Ethiopia, Nepal and Niger).
The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) was founded by
the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and Pfizer Inc in 1998
to implement the SAFE strategy in communities at risk of trachoma.
While supporting country programs, ITI also supports trachoma-control
research and evaluation as well as advocacy efforts.
The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
operates with a 1990 mandate from the United Nations General
Assembly. It is hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO)
in Geneva, and is supported by a multi-stakeholder membership
and governance structure. WSSCC is dedicated to enhancing
collaboration in the water supply and sanitation sector to
accelerate the achievement of sustainable water, sanitation
and waste management services to all people, with special
attention to the unserved poor.
For further details please contact:
- At International Trachoma Initiative (ITI):
Jonathan Struthers
Director, Communications & Development
International Trachoma Initiative (ITI)
441 Lexington Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Email: jstruthers@trachoma.org
Internet: www.trachoma.org
Tel: (212) 490-6460 ext. 13
Fax: (212) 490-6461
- At the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative
Council (WSSCC):
Sören Bauer
Communications and External Relations Officer
International Environment House
9 Chemin des Anemones
1219 Chatelaine
Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: 00 41 22 917 8657
Fax: 00 41 22 917 8084
Email: bauers@who.int
Internet: www.wsscc.org
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