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Myanmar Eradicates Disease That Caused Blindness in 4% of Its People—The 12th Nation To Do So
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Myanmar Eradicates Disease That Caused Blindness in 4% of Its People—The 12th Nation To Do So

The World Health Organization reports that in the country of Myanmar, trachoma as a public health problem has been eliminated.

International

Though trachoma is preventable, blindness from trachoma is irreversible–and it continues to be one of the leading causes of blindness globally, affecting 1.9 million people around the world.

In good news from Myanmar, the World Health Organization has validated that the disease has been eliminated from the country: This is extra impressive, because in 2005, trachoma was responsible for 4% of all cases of blindness there.

The nation joins Nepal in the WHO South-East Asia Region and 12 countries globally to achieve this feat.