Ukraine War Could Push an Additional 47 Million Into Acute Hunger.

Trachoma’s Blindness Risk by 2030 A World Health Organization program launched in 1996 to eliminate active trachoma by 2020 did not reach its goal. However, the number of people at risk of trachoma blindness declined by 90% between 2002 and 2018, and the risk may yet be eliminated by 2030, according to analysis of data from 38 countries published in The Lancet Global Health. The leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, active, inflammatory trachoma is caused by infection with the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterium. A prevalence rate of less than 5% among children aged 1 to 9 years is thought to eliminate blindness risk. Achieving that rate in local areas known as implementation units is the program goal. Active trachoma is controlled by a combination of surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement. The strategy includes mass azithromycin administration in implementation units where active trachoma is present in at least 5% of children aged 1 to 9 years. As prevalence increases, the number of recommended mass vaccination rounds also increases, from 1 to as many as 7. Of 2097 implementation units where active trachoma was ever endemic, many of which were identified from 2013 to 2015, 1923 (91.7%) have had mass drug administration, with 1182 (56.4%) reaching the risk elimination target of less than 5%. Among 1731 units where impact surveys were conducted, prevalence has dropped by at least 50% in 1465 (84.6%) units. While 11 countries effectively eliminated trachoma as a public health risk, recrudescence occurred in others. “Although great progress has been made towards global elimination, the timeline will be longer than was initially thought,” the authors wrote.