A message from 2017-18 Rotary International President Australian Ian Riseley
Rotary’s 2017-18 International President, Australia’s Ian Riseley, wants a trachoma-free Australia by 2021, Rotary’s 100th year in Australia. We are the world's only developed country with trachoma, an infectious eye disease that can be prevented with good hygiene practices.
The World Health Organisation has a global goal to eliminate trachoma by 2020. Trachoma is an infectious eye disease that can be prevented with good hygiene practices. But it is still present in remote Aboriginal communities and can lead to permanent blindness.
The work of the Australian Government, the Fred Hollows Foundation and Indigenous Eye Health to treat trachoma infections has seen rates in affected communities reduced substantially. But now, we need to ensure that hygiene practices and the community environments are improved to completely eliminate the disease.
Prevention is the focus of EndTrachoma by 2020.
trachomaLive
Meet our project team and some of the experts working with us to EndTrachoma by 2020, including Dr. Solomon from the World Health Organisation and RI President Ian Riseley.
Our videos were recorded live with some of the most inspiring, hard-working people in the field of trachoma, eye health and Indigenous health equity.