title: Current status of trachoma elimination in Australia: making trachoma a history by 2020.
abstract: Trachoma is one of the major causes of preventable blindness worldwide. In Australia it is solely a disease of Aboriginal people. Trachoma in non-indigenous Australians has been eradicated earlier this century, however, is still prevalent among Aboriginal communities. Poor living condition, lack of access to water supply and sanitation, living in a crowded and unhealthy environment are the main causes of trachoma in Indigenous Australians. The World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated Global Alliance for the Elimination of Trachoma by the year 2020 (GET2020). The alliance has adopted the "SAFE" (Surgery, Antibiotic distribution, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvements) strategy to eliminate trachoma in endemic countries. In Australia, the National Trachoma Surveillance and Reporting Unit (NTSRU) was established in 2006 and ever since has been providing high quality surveillance data on national trachoma burden. In 2009, the Australian Government made a commitment investment of $16 million over a 4-year period to eliminate trachoma from Australia. Today, promising success has been achieved in surveillance and management of trachoma using the SAFE strategy. But the ultimate elimination of the disease would require a long-term political commitment founded, inter alia, on multi-sectoral collaboration, targeted research, and community engagement.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Harunor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.affiliation: Centre for Perinatal Infection Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Cnr Hawkesbury Rd and Hainsworth St, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia. gulam.khandaker@health.nsw.gov.au.
authors.forename: Gulam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Khandaker
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001315:Australia; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D060740:Disease Eradication; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D014141:Trachoma / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014881:Water Supply; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents