Africa-Press – Mozambique. The health authorities intend to vaccinate, in the next few days, almost 200,000 people against trachoma in three districts of the central Mozambican province of Manica.
The districts in question are Guro, Tambara and Macossa, known to have cases of the disease, which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Complications caused by this disease may lead to irreversible blindness.
Trachoma is transmitted directly through dirty hands, utensils, cloths or even towels that can pass from the eyes of a contaminated individual to a healthy person.
Trachoma occurs in areas with poor sanitation and difficult access to water. In Mozambique, it affects thousands of people, from children to adults and the elderly, and is the second leading cause of avoidable blindness in the world.
In order to carry out the vaccination, the health authorities launched, on Wednesday, in each of the three districts, a five-day mass treatment campaign to raise the awareness of the population even in the most remote communities.
According to the Manica provincial health director, Firmino Jaqueta, all the conditions are in place for the campaign to run smoothly.
He explained that the treatment will consist of administering ophthalmological tetracycline to children from zero to less than six months old.
“Azithromycin will also be given, and in tablet form to individuals over seven years of age up to adults. The best way to fight the disease is individual hygiene, washing your face at least three times a day, along with the correct use of latrines, and hygiene in the home and community”, he said.
“In order for the campaign to be successful”, he said, “we are relying on volunteers identified in the communities who have been properly trained and who will administer the medication”.
Jaqueta called on the entire population of the three districts to join the campaign, which covers people of all ages.
“The government and its partners have created the conditions to provide quality health care to the population. So our appeal is for everyone to take the medicine that will be administered in the communities over the next five days. The treatment is completely free”, he said.
The three districts still have a prevalence of trachoma of five per cent, a rate that the health authorities consider to be a public health problem.
“Every year there will be a campaign. After three years, another assessment will be made of the prevalence situation in these districts”, Jaqueta said.
Trachoma is endemic in 65 districts in the northern provinces of Niassa and Nampula, and the central provinces of Zambézia, Manica, Tete and Sofala.
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