A COMMUNITY APPRAOCH TO TRACHOMA PREVENTION

About 74km from Kaoma District, a group of 20 community health workers gather at Luampa Mission Hospital to attend a training on Trachoma. Ophthalmic Clinical officer Betty Tembo welcomes the participants and begins to explain the objectives of the training.

Betty explains that the trainings are designed to put the community at the center of fighting the diseases by empowering them with the knowledge required to promote community health practices that help prevent the disease and also fast track interventions for patients requiring Trachoma Triachiasis Surgery.

The initiative forms part of the WHO recommended SAFE strategy for fighting Trachoma. In addition to identifying and referring patients requiring surgery, the health workers will also help in creating awareness about community practices that can prevent the disease such as face washing and personal hygiene.

42 year Sheila Simunika, a health worker from Kasheke rural health centre is one of the participants. She has travelled 9 km to attend the training. “I have learnt that Trachoma a disease of the eyes and we can prevent it by washing our faces, building toilets far from our homes and coming to the hospital for surgery”, Sheila explains her understanding of the training.

The trainings are conducted by Ministry of Health staff supported by the Lions Aid Norway (LAN) Trachoma project with funding from the Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Trust Fund through Sightsavers. Under the project, a total of 1240 community health workers are to be trained to spread knowledge about Trachoma to over 74,000 households and 730 patients receiving surgery.