Setting Our Sights on Eliminating Trachoma
Today is World NTD Day, a day to raise awareness for addressing neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). It is fitting, then, that Pfizer is celebrating the donation of the one billionth dose of our antibiotic as part of the global effort to help prevent and treat #trachoma, an NTD that is the leading infectious cause of blindness.?
Trachoma is found in many of the poorest and most rural areas of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, which after repeated infection scars the interior of the eyelid and causes it to turn inward. The eyelashes scrape against a person’s eyes with each blink, causing painful ulcers and blindness if not treated with antibiotics or surgery.
This disease is a public health problem in more than 40 countries, with 1.9 million people currently suffering visual impairment due to trachoma, and 136 million people remaining at continued risk. Most devastating of all, blindness from trachoma is irreversible. This is exceedingly frustrating because trachoma is completely preventable.?
The good news is that there is hope that we can eliminate trachoma once and for all. More than 20 years ago, Pfizer teamed up with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and founded the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) to help manage Pfizer’s donated antibiotic as part of the WHO’s SAFE (surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement) strategy. Through this initiative, we’ve developed long-term, cross-sector partnerships with organizations and individuals who share the same vision to help people protect their eyesight from preventable diseases. You can read more about our progress in this article from my colleague Niesha Foster.?
With this milestone of 1 billion doses donated, we have been able to reach an estimated 300 million people suffering from, or at risk of, this debilitating and preventable infectious disease. What’s more, as of October 2022, 15 countries have been validated by the WHO for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.?
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There is still more work to do, but it is clear that eliminating blindness from trachoma is achievable. Today, on #WorldNTDDay, we stand with our trachoma partners #100PercentCommitted to expanding global health equity and strengthening health systems so that we can make this disease a thing of the past.
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Visit Pfizer.com/trachoma to learn more about our work on trachoma.
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Executive Vice President, General Counsel at Pfizer
2 å¹´This is a key milestone in our continuing effort to help prevent and treat trachoma.?The impact this has had on patients around the world makes me #Pfizerproud of the commitment we made and followed through on, and ...we know there is more work to do.?#WorldNTDDay #100PercentCommitted #trachoma
Chief People Experience Officer, Executive Vice President at Pfizer
2 å¹´#PfizerProud to see equity in action. Thank you Albert, Pfizer and our global health partners for your leadership and partnership to #BeatNTDs
Albert Bourla, I am #Pfizerproud of our commitment to eliminate trachoma. We know there is more work to do, but this milestone has positively changed the lives of millions of people. #BeatNTDS
Chief Sustainability Officer, Pfizer Inc. | Senior Vice President, Global Health & Social Impact, Pfizer Inc. | President, The Pfizer Foundation
2 å¹´Thank you for your leadership, Albert. Our collective work to fight trachoma shows what can be achieved when we think big, have a flexible operating model, harness the power of data, and most importantly, work alongside our trusted partners. Together, we can #BeatNTDs??