World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day

The next World NTD Day will be celebrated on January 30 2024 and we are joining the 300+ organisations to help raise awareness and call on the global community to work together to eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) blind, disable and disfigure people, taking away not only their health, but also their chances of staying in school, earning a living, or even being accepted by their family or community.

The Neglected Tropical Disease that Orbis primarily focuses on is trachoma.

Trachoma – a painful bacterial eye infection – is one of those most prevalent Neglected Tropical Diseases and a major focus of Orbis's work globally. We recently celebrated the news that trachoma has decreased by 91% since 2002 in endemic areas.

This is all thanks to the collaborative efforts of the eye health community and those who support it, helping get clean water, sanitation, increase awareness, and preventative antibiotics to those at risk.

But the fight is far from over! With the right tools and knowledge in place, we can make an Neglected Tropical Diseases like blinding trachoma history.

Trachoma is an infectious eye disease. If left untreated it can develop into trichiasis - a painful condition where the eyelids turn inwards and the eyelashes rub against the surface of the eye. This can lead to irreversible blindness.

Thanks to the support of partners and donors, we have achieved the elimination threshold for trachoma in 48 districts of Ethiopia.

We are addressing trachoma infections by:

• Training a whole host of outreach workers in hard-to-reach areas of Ethiopia to deliver the surgeries and treatments needed to fight the disease.
• Holding mass drug administrations to reat and prevent trachoma. In the past 25 years Orbis have played a leading role in delivering over 100 million doses of the trachoma-fighting-antibiotic, azithromycin, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region (SNNPR).
• Building awareness of the infection and promoting better hygiene through educating community health workers, health extension workers, teachers, local women’s group leaders and community leaders about eye health.

This World NTD Day, we would like to pay a special thanks to all of our volunteers, partners and supporters, who have been instrumental in the fight against trachoma around the world.

With your ongoing support, our goal is to eliminate this terrible blinding eye disease.