Reflecting on the past and looking forward towards elimination

Public health can be defined as “efforts to protect, promote and restore the people’s health”. It is a combination of sciences, skills and beliefs directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all the people through collective or social actions.

Trachoma is an old public health problem. In the modern world, we have a solution. Public health interventions are clearly defined through the SAFE strategy. Global partnerships, national commitment, cross-sectoral collaboration and donated antibiotics provide the ideal framework to achieve elimination.

Success, however begins and is achieved almost exclusively at the grass-root level, in trachoma-endemic districts.

It requires the dedication and commitment of individual health workers, the expertise of TT surgeons and partnerships with communities to maximise trust and acceptance of interventions such as antibiotics. Each individual involved in trachoma and the delivery of SAFE strategy makes an essential contribution towards achieving a shared goal of eliminating trachoma from the world.

If you are based in a trachoma endemic region, we would appreciate your feedback in the Comments on how this course has provided practical guidance for you and your team.

Thank you for taking this course!