But the industrial world is without mercy

Trachoma is one of these insidious diseases affecting developing countries. Transmitted mainly by flies, this infection affects mostly children and makes blind those who are not treated before adulthood. It is also a disease of poverty and the lack of hygiene. It is for centuries isolated low income populations where water is scarce. As in southern Morocco, where trachoma persists in a few pockets around five well known cities of hikers desert lovers: Ouarzazate, Errachidia, Figuig, Tata and Zagora.

In 1997, the Morocco decided to eradicate this disease. In 2006, this bet is about to be won. The event was celebrated with pomp by the health authorities of the Kingdom. Rabat now awaiting the final green light from the World Health Organization to announce the new: trachoma is officially removed from the southeastern provinces. "This old disease more 5,000 years is the byproduct of ignorance and poverty." "We won a part and need to maintain the effort," said Jacob Kumaresan, who heads the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI).

This international institution has set a goal to eliminate the disease from the surface of the planet by 2020. According to who data, nearly 84 million people in the world are exposed to this risk mainly in the tropical belts on the planet. Their proximity to the children, women are much more affected than men. "In all affected countries, three quarters of patients are women," said Jacob Kumaresan.

Without being complex or costly, the fight against Trachoma includes four complementary and inseparable components: the establishment of structures nursing surgery for people already with, preventive antibiotic therapy, information, education and improving the health of vulnerable populations and economic level. "It is in the early 1990 that a specific programme against eye diseases was created in the Ministry of health," said Dr. Noureddine Chaouki, Director of epidemiology at the Department of health in Rabat. Almost fifteen years of efforts to eliminate a disease that threatened about 300,000 people living in villages perched in the foothills of the High Atlas.

Awareness of hygiene

In some of these very remote villages, illiteracy, lack of resources and hygiene are the common lot of berberspeaking majority populations. This is the case of the douar Afra Labrabere about 30 kilometres from Ouarzazate: 1,600 inhabitants and 140 households living with a little agriculture and crafts. The first priority to improve the ordinary was to ensure the availability of drinking water in homes and to implement training sessions in the school. With a budget of a few thousands of euros, you can sometimes miracles. A Afra Labrabere, the majority of households is now connected to a network of drinking water through the construction of a well and a water tower. At the same time, a literacy campaign was initiated and awareness sessions to hygiene in young children were launched. These basic investments have had a direct effect on the disease. A test can measure the impact of the arrival of drinking water: the number of own child faces. "Trachoma is not only a strictly medical problem." "It is essentially a reflection of socio-economic problems", j. Noureddine Chaouki

The string operations

In the province of Ouarzazate, inhabited by about 500,000 people (including 350,000 in rural areas), the prevalence of trachoma was of the order of 30 of the population in 1993. According to data of the Moroccan Ministry of health, she fell today to about 0.2. In the region of Zagora, the prevalence of the disease reached 70 of the population. To treat people, the Moroccan authorities have developed methods for operation "in the string. A body of "Surgeons of campaign" composed of doctors and nurses was formed.

The operation of 15 minutes in a non-sterile environment is a precise incision which can be performed by trained professionals. In the province of Agadez, more than 5,000 people have been made since 1998.

At the same time, the distribution of a specific antibiotic (azithromycin) has been generalized. The U.S. laboratory Pfizer is committed to provide all of the necessary drugs to the eradication of the disease in the world, expected for 2020 (40 million doses). According to Henry McKinnell, President of the firm, philanthropic actions are now part of the strategy of the pharmaceutical industry. "This year, we will not spend from $ 1.6 billion in cash and donations of medicines in philanthropic activities in poor countries", said Henry McKinnell. But the industrial world is without mercy. The former CEO of the New York firm was recently landed his chair of operational General Manager by the Board of Directors of the New York Group for insufficient results. It is now the Honorary President of the first pharmaceutical group Chair world.