Manila, Oct 21 (IANS): The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday declared Vietnam's successful elimination of trachoma, a major infectious cause of blindness worldwide, marking a significant milestone in global health.

During the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, the health body validated Vietnam's efforts, saying the country has implemented rigorous control measures and treated hundreds of thousands of people over the past seven decades.

According to the WHO, trachoma used to be a public health problem in four provinces in Vietnam. Thirty years ago, 1.7 per cent of people living in these high-risk provinces required surgery to prevent blindness from trachoma, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, by 2023, the proportion of adults with the blinding form of the disease had fallen below 0.2 per cent, which is the threshold required for the WHO validation of eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.

It added that Vietnam's adoption of the WHO's SAFE strategy, which focuses on surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement, has bolstered trachoma elimination.

Trachoma is an eye disease caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection is transmitted by direct or indirect transfer of eye and nose discharges of infected people, particularly young children who harbor the principal reservoir of infection. These discharges can be spread by particular species of flies.