China eliminates blinding trachoma ahead of schedule

After several decades of hard work, China had eliminated blinding trachoma in 2014 as announced by Li Bin, then the chief of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, at the general debate of the 68th World Health Assembly held in Geneva on May 18, 2015.

Trachoma once ranked first in eye-blinding diseases in China, but is now no longer a national public health issue.

The levels of ophthalmological treatment in the country have significantly improved

The prevalence and infection of trachoma is closely related to economic, living, and health development levels, said Professor Wang Ningli, director of the ophthalmology department of Beijing Tongren Hospital.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the prevalence of trachoma in rural areas in China reached 80 to 90 percent, slightly higher than that in urban areas. At that time, trachoma was the most prevalent eye-blinding disease, and the rate of blindness was as high as 5 percent.

In response, China began trachoma prevention and control work in the 1950s. In 1956, China discovered for the first time in the world that the cause of trachoma was Chlamydia trachomatis. China successfully produced a trachoma model in primates and found a sensitive antibiotic for its treatment, which caused a global sensation.

At the same time, Chinese ophthalmologists have conducted extensive research on the pathology, diagnostic criteria, staging, and drug treatment of trachoma, which has accelerated the prevention and treatment of the disorder.

China no longer a country plagued by trachoma

In the 1980s, China’s trachoma was clearly under control. According to the results of a 1987 national survey on people with disabilities, trachoma dropped from the first cause of blindness to the third.

In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) and non-governmental organizations jointly sponsored the "Vision 2020" global anti-blindness initiative. Eradication of blinding trachoma was set as one of the five basic goals to eliminate avoidable blindness. China responded positively.

According to Wang, in 2012, China launched the project “Eliminate blinding trachoma in China by 2016”. The project organized experts from China and the WHO to take part in a survey on the epidemic situation of trachoma in 16 provincial regions with high incidence rates. Free treatment was offered for screened trachoma patients.

Surveys show that by the end of 2014, the prevalence rates of active trachoma and trichiasis caused by trachoma in China were 0.196 percent and 0.002 percent respectively, which were far lower than the WHO's 2008 criteria for trachoma endemic areas (5 percent, 0.1 percent). The prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 1 to 9 years and people over 15 years of age was lower than the WHO's criteria for eradicating blinding trachoma. The investigation confirmed that China no longer belongs to the trachoma-endemic countries and has achieved the goal of eradicating blinding trachoma.

Eliminating blinding trachoma does not mean completely eliminating trachoma itself. Wang said that China has a vast territory, and the economic development and environmental hygiene conditions greatly vary. As an infectious eye disease, there may still be sporadic cases of trachoma, and it may also occur in small-scale epidemics in areas with poor sanitation. It is still necessary to continue to popularize knowledge of trachoma control and prevent the resumption of epidemic trachoma.