Leading eye care nonprofit Orbis proudly celebrates 22 years of working to eliminate the blindness-causing infection trachoma in Ethiopia. Most recently, Orbis administered more than 7.5 million doses of trachoma-fighting antibiotics in just one month despite significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trachoma is highly contagious, but it is easily treatable with antibiotics if it is caught early. In December 2020, Orbis initiated a mass drug administration (MDA) across 89 districts in Ethiopia’s Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR), where the burden of trachoma remains particularly high.
During that time, Orbis also performed 5,449 surgeries in cases where trachoma infections had progressed to trachomatous trichiasis, a painful condition in which scarring causes the eyelid to turn in on itself and the eyelashes to scratch the eye, ultimately leading to blindness.
Normally, MDAs take place in community settings in Ethiopia, but preventing the spread of COVID-19 required that the Orbis team take a door-to-door approach. While safer, the process is nearly twice as time-consuming.
Good hygiene practices, such as face- and hand-washing, also play a crucial role in combating trachoma because of its highly contagious nature. That is why Orbis has supported the construction of communal and school latrines as well as protected water points in the southern region of Ethiopia.
A man and his daughter were among the more than 7.5 million recipients of trachoma-fighting antibiotics distributed by Orbis in Ethiopia in December 2020. Photo: Genaye Eshetu
