PHA-Exchange> WHO UNVEILS KIT TO HELP BLINDNESS PREVENTION PROGRAMMES

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WHO UNVEILS KIT TO HELP BLINDNESS PREVENTION PROGRAMMES
New York, Oct  9 2003 10:00AM
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the
International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) today 
launched a compact disk tool kit to help countries and non-governmental
organizations develop programmes to combat the problem of 
increasing numbers of people who are needlessly becoming blind.

The kit, unveiled at Word Sight Day activities today in Geneva, is a
compilation of governmental and non-governmental experience 
in organizing blindness prevention programmes, and contains what WHO
said were the latest information, documents, websites and 
slideshows on preventable blindness. The kit is aimed for use by policy
makers and civil leaders.

WHO Director-General Dr. Lee Jong-wook said, “The latest research shows
that the numbers of people who needlessly become blind are 
increasing. WHO is committed to reversing that trend.”

According to WHO, 80 per cent of visual loss can be prevented or cured.
An estimated 40 million to 45 million people are blind and 
135 million have low vision. An estimated 90 per cent of blindness
occurs in developing countries. The leading causes of avoidable 
blindness and visual impairment are cataract, trachoma, river
blindness, some conditions in children, such as vitamin A deficiency 
and retinopathy, and the lack of glasses and low vision aids, the
agency said.

The new tool kit is aimed at helping governments carry out a resolution
on Elimination of Avoidable Blindness unanimously adopted 
at the 56th World Health Assembly last May, calling on all states to
develop and evaluate National Prevention of Blindness Plans, 
with a view to implementing them by 2007.