World Health Assembly: Celebrating the End of Trachoma in Morocco

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affect more than 1 billion people, mostly in poor and developing areas. They are both a consequence and a cause of poverty, thriving where access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare is limited.

This is why, five years ago, Pfizer joined representatives from across the global health community in setting a bold and historic goal: eliminate or control 10 NTDs by 2020. This commitment, known as the London Declaration, has helped spur unprecedented global action and progress in the fight against NTDs. In fact, from 2011 to today, roughly 50 percent fewer people, or 182 million, require treatment for trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness and one of the 10 NTDs targeted.

To mark this significant moment in time for the NTD community, please join us as we celebrate with our partner, the International Trachoma Initiative, and the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations at the 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) this week to honor the recent World Health Organization validation of trachoma elimination in Morocco. The validation is truly a testament to what can be accomplished as a community, and this model in Morocco can help serve as a blueprint for other countries still fighting to eliminate this debilitating disease.

Together with more than 100 partner organizations, Pfizer is proud to be working to ensure that individuals in underserved communities are equipped with the resources they need to eliminate trachoma. Learn more: http://on.pfizer.com/2qgG1yj