By Alemayehu Sisay | Country Director, Ethiopia
Orbis focuses on trachoma, a painful bacterial eye infection and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. It is estimated to affect 1.9 million people globally.
If left untreated, repeated trachoma infections can lead to trachomatous trichiasis (TT), a painful condition in which scarring causes the eyelid to turn in on itself and the eyelashes to scratch the front part of the eye.
This will be our 23rd year of working to eliminate trachoma in Ethiopia. In collaboration with local partners, Orbis implements the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy (Surgery to correct trachomatous trichiasis; Antibiotics for the bacterium that causes trachoma; Facial cleanliness to reduce transmission; and Environmental improvement to reduce the risk of transmission and infection).
The disease still has a strong foothold in Ethiopia, but through our efforts, we have achieved the elimination threshold for trachoma in 38 districts across the region, as of 2021.
Our work involves training frontline healthcare workers in Ethiopia to administer the antibiotics and training eye care teams to deliver the surgery and treatment needed to address TT.
Before the pandemic, mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns took place in central locations in community settings in Ethiopia, but the social distancing guidelines that have been put into place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have required that the Orbis team take a door-to-door approach in all MDAs since 2020.
We have also been providing our team members with personal protective equipment. These updated procedures have helped to ensure the safety of our team members and the community.
The door-to-door process is nearly twice as time- and resource-consuming, but we continue our work because we know that missed doses can allow trachoma to regain a foothold. We also know how restoring vision changes lives and communities.
Plus, as we share hygiene tips with communities that help them prevent the spread of trachoma, they’re also learning best practices for protecting themselves against COVID.
By Diane Weatherup | Development Director
By Clare O'Dea | Vice-Chair Orbis Ireland
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