Mass drug administration campaign against Trachoma launched

A first mass drug administration (MDA) campaign of the Ministry of Health to reduce trachoma in Vanuatu was launched Friday afternoon by the Minister of Health, Toara Daniel Kalo, at the Market House in Port Vila.

Trachoma affects 41 million worldwide today and Vanuatu has recorded over 12% incidence of trachoma when the Ministry of Health conducted a mapping exercise in 2016.

Trachoma is caused by bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis, which passes from one person to another through unwashed hands and sharing of clothes such as towels by people with the disease.

Statistics quoted by the Minister of Health in his speech at the launching of the MDA show that of the 41 million affected by trachoma, 2.2 million cannot see properly while1.2 million are totally blind from the sickness.

Minister Daniel Kalo said the Ministry of Health is carrying out the Mass Drug Administration campaign through a public health mission to prevent the increase of the disease in Vanuatu. This mission aims to prevent the increase of communicable diseases, such as TB, malaria, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS and Trachoma and at the same time reduce the cost health expenditure.

“Today Vanuatu faces challenges from climate change impacts which result in many places facing shortages of water and as a result many people do not have access to safe and clean water,” the Minister of Health said.

“As water is a basic need, proper use of water reduces over 40% of illnesses including trachoma.”

After the MDA campaign the Ministry of Health will work with UN agencies such as WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA to improve the program of providing access to safe and clean water to the people.

This is not the first time the Ministry of Health is carrying out a mass drug administration campaign for the whole population in Vanuatu. In 1991,

From August 15 through September 15, 2016 the Ministry of Health and WHO with financial support from Fred Hallows Foundation is carrying out the mass drug administration campaign. The drug that everyone will be expected to take is acid thromyzin. It is a strong drug that not only kills off the bacteria causing trachoma, but also reduces other sicknesses such as diarrhea, STIs and yaws.

“In 2013 the Ministry of Health carried out a mass treatment of the population of Tanna using the same drugs against yaws and the result showed that the number of patients visiting Lenakel Hospital dropped from 700 a month to 100 people a month. And at that time, the outpatients at Lenakel Hospital did not receive any patient for two months,” Minister Daniel Kalo continued.

Finally, the Minister of Health expressed his appreciation to Fred Hallows Foundation Australia for providing funding support to enable the Ministry of Health to carry out the Trachoma MDA campaign.

Dr. Anna Cama, Fred Hallows Foundation Regional Coordinator – Pacific Trachoma Initiative said the Fred Hallows Foundation was pleased to work in partnership with the Vanuatu Ministry of Health to eliminate Trachoma in Vanuatu by 2020.

“Trachoma can be prevented and the infection treated. But we cannot do this alone. We need to all work together because together, greater things can be achieved for Vanuatu, and trachoma eliminated by 2020,” she added.

The Director of Local Authorities (DLA) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ben Tabi, assured the Ministry of Health that DLA supports the MDA campaign against trachoma. He said his department will use its decentralized structure and the legislated mandate for the flow of information to provide awareness to the people for an effective and efficient MDA campaign against trachoma.

Speeches in support of the MDA campaign also came from WHO representative Dr. Jacob Kool and the Mayor of Port Vila Ulrich Sumptoh.