Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection that can lead to blindness if left untreated. Australia is the only developed country in the world where trachoma still exists. The Australian government and non-government organisations including Fred Hollows, have invested much money and efforts since the 1970s to eliminate the disease, and we are very close to doing this by 2020. But we need your support.
With Rotary clubs across Australia supporting us, we can make sure that this disease is eradicated from Australia's land forever. Why should Rotary get involved? Because we can provide the community driven response that is required to ensure the sustained elimination of trachoma. In Australia, we use the World Health Organisation's recommended SAFE strategy to guide us. This strategy has reportedly seen the recent elimination of trachoma from China, Gambia, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco, Myanmar and Oman. Australia has long focused on the medical interventions of the strategy (Surgery and Antibiotics), but greater focus now is required on the public health strategies - Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement. These are areas that Rotary Clubs all over Australia know about, have worked with communities on, and are essentially, through lived experiences, expert strategists for such goals. We can end trachoma in Australia by 2020. And we can end it forever.
