India was awarded the Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. The certificate was presented by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
Health Minister JP Nadda hailed the achievement as a “proud moment” for the country and credited the milestone to the “visionary leadership” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“This significant milestone reflects the success of our public health initiatives under the visionary leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Naendra Modi, whose focus on preventive and inclusive healthcare continues to drive global recognition. India remains firmly committed to disease elimination and ensuring Health For All through sustained, people-centric health reforms,” Nadda wrote on social media platform X.
Also Read | āHealthy world depends on inclusion,ā says PM Modi after India adopts WHO pandemic treaty
The Health Ministry also called the recognition a testament to Indiaās sustained efforts in disease elimination and preventive healthcare.
The WHO had initially declared India trachoma-free on October 8, 2024, making it the third country in the WHO South-East Asia Region, after Nepal and Myanmar, to eliminate the disease as a public health concern.
Trachoma, a leading cause of infectious blindness, is a chlamydial infection that occurs due to poor hygiene, an unclean water supply, and contact with the eye, nose, or throat secretions of an infected person or indirectly through flies.
