Mauritania approaching goal of trachoma eradication thanks to private funding

PARIS — The ambitious goal of lowering the prevalence of blinding trachoma from 16% to less than 3% in Mauritania was achieved thanks to private sponsorship in cooperation with the local government, as reported by Abdallahi Ould Minnih, MD, who received this year’s Gold Medal award from the International Organization Against Trachoma and the French League Against Trachoma.

Trachoma was a public health problem in large areas of Mauritania. In a 2000 survey, a national 16% prevalence of follicular trachoma was found in children under the age of 10 years, Ould Minnih said during the meeting of the French Society of Ophthalmology.

Abdallahi Ould Minnih

“Unable to deal alone with a problem of such proportion, our government looked for partnerships, and among partners a private citizen, Mohamed Ould Bouamatou, embraced the cause of eradicating trachoma and committed to provide unlimited funding until the ultimate goal is achieved,” he said.

Since then, the Ministry of Health and the Mohamed Ould Bouamatou Foundation have been implementing the WHO SAFE strategy, consisting of trichiasis surgery campaigns and mass treatment with oral azithromycin and tetracycline eye ointment.

“After the first 3 years of treatment, and with a coverage that varied between 80% and 90%, trachoma prevalence declined to less than 5% in 11 out of the 19 districts targeted. An increase in the number of latrines and a decrease in the number of homes where people and animals were cohabiting was also achieved,” Ould Minnih said.

A further decrease to the 3% rate was obtained in the following 12 years. Data show that the goal of elimination of blinding trachoma is about to be reached. – by Michela Cimberle

Reference:

Ould Minnih A. The fight against trachoma in Mauritania: An example of public-private partnership. Presented at: French Society of Ophthalmology meeting; May 7-10, 2016; Paris.

Disclosure: Minnih reports no relevant financial disclosures.