World NTD day
World NTD Day is an annual event to raise awareness and demand action for the control and elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the progress made by the community to help the 1.9 billion people whose lives are threatened every day.
What is Trachoma
Trachoma is an infectious eye disease and one of the leading causes of blindness globally. If left untreated, it can develop into trichiasis - a painful condition where the eyelids turn inwards and the eyelashes rub against the surface of the eye, leading to irreversible blindness.
Did You Know?
Ethiopia bears the greatest burden of trachoma worldwide, accounting for 52% of all cases.
World Ntd Day
World NTD DAY 2023
What have Orbis teams been doing to fight trachoma in Ethiopia? Find out here and meet some of the people involved.
World NTD Day 2022: Celebrating 23 years fighting Trachoma
January 30 is World NTD Day - a day to highlight the action needed to control & eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases. It's also an opportunity to celebrate the progress made by the global community to help the 1.7B lives threatened by them. For 23 years we've been working in Ethiopia to tackle the spread of blinding trachoma.
What Are Neglected Tropical Diseases?
| Buruli ulcer | Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses |
| Chagas disease | Onchocerciasis |
| Dengue and Chikungunya | Rabies |
| Guinea worm disease | Scabies and other ectoparasites |
| Echinococcosis | Schistosomiasis |
| Foodborne trematodiases | Soil-transmitted helminthiases |
| Human African trypanosomiasis | Snakebite envenoming |
| Leishmaniasis | Taeniasis/Cysticercosis |
| Leprosy | Trachoma |
| Lymphatic filariasis | Yaws |
The Neglected Tropical Disease that Orbis primarily focuses on is trachoma.
Trachoma – a painful bacterial eye infection – is one of those most prevalent Neglected Tropical Diseases and a major focus of our work globally. We recently celebrated the news that trachoma has decreased by 91% since 2002 in endemic areas.
This is all thanks to the collaborative efforts of the eye health community and those who support it, helping get clean water, sanitation, increase awareness, and preventative antibiotics to those at risk.
But the fight is far from over! With the right tools and knowledge in place, we can make Neglected Tropical Diseases like blinding trachoma history.
Treating a community for trachoma during the COVID-19 pandemic
Meet Dr. Alemayehu Sisay Orbis Trachoma Expert and Country Director of Ethiopia
MEET ORBIS TRACHOMA EXPERT DR. ALEMAYEHU SISAY
Dr. Alemayehu Sisay is Orbis Ethiopia Country Director and Senior ophthalmologist. He is one of the leading trachoma experts globally and a strong advocate for comprehensive eye care to help improves lives and build equality around the world.
Trachoma in Numbers
Trachoma
It is a public health problem in 40 countries
1.9 Million People
Have been left visually impaired as a result of trachoma
450,000 People
Have been left irreversibly blind because of trachoma
Trachoma Stories From the Field
Thanks to the support of partners and donors, we have helped reduce trachoma infection rates in 24 regions of Ethiopia. Here's how we're addressing trachoma infections, particularly in rural areas where there is limited access to healthcare.
TRAINING ON THE FRONTLINE:
We're training a whole host of outreach workers in hard-to-reach areas of Ethiopia to deliver the surgeries and treatments needed to fight the disease.
MASS DRUG ADMINISTRATION:
Since 2008 we've helped distribute 98.2 million doses of antibiotics to treat and prevent trachoma. The latest Mass Drug Administration took place at the end of the beginning of 2023, with extra planning and precautions still in place dut COVID-19, our teams in Ethiopia have to work even harder to protect families from this blinding disease.
The antibiotic that we use is Zithromax, which is produced by Pfizer. Pfizer kindly donates all the Zithromax that the Orbis team needs to end this disease.
EDUCATING COMMUNITIES:
We're building awareness of the infection and promoting better hygiene through educating community health workers, health extension workers, teachers, local women’s group leaders and community leaders about eye health.
Donate now
and help us eliminate Trachoma in Ethiopia
