Facilitating research for trachoma elimination

International commitment to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem worldwide is demonstrated by resolution WHA51.11 of the World Health Assembly. However, trachoma has been labelled a “neglected tropical disease” in part because research on trachoma has historically been given insufficient attention in proportion to its contribution to overall human suffering. A list of research priorities has been developed by a group of academic institutions that have for many years helped WHO to implement its mandate on trachoma.

This group constitutes the Network of WHO Collaborating Centres (WHOCCs) for Trachoma, which also coordinates work to undertake the identified research, and undertakes a range of other tasks to support national trachoma elimination programmes. The Network’s meetings are open to all bona fide researchers. Published reports of the meetings held to date are available below:

Each year, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020, WHO convenes the “Trachoma Scientific Informal Workshop”, to review completed and in-progress research on trachoma. The Trachoma Scientific Informal Workshop reports in to the main WHO Alliance meetings.

Reports of the latter can be found on the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020 web page.