San Salvador, August 9, 2024. – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Government of Canada, through its Embassy in the country, in coordination with the Government of El Salvador, today launched a project for trachoma screening in priority communities as part of the regional initiative to eliminate the disease. Trachoma is an eye infection and the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide, particularly affecting women in vulnerable and remote areas of Latin America.

With a contribution of CAD$415,000 (USD$302,180) from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), PAHO will expand technical cooperation to strengthen surveillance and expand treatment of the disease. This intervention is expected to reach approximately 141,000 people in the five priority departments of Ahuachapán, Chalatenango, Usulután, San Miguel and Morazán.

The collaboration was announced today by Kim Cowan, Representative of the Government of Canada; PAHO/WHO Representative in El Salvador, Ángel Alvarez; Director of the Salvadoran Agency for International Cooperation-ESCO, Karla de Palma; and Vice Minister of Health Management and Development, Carlos Alvarenga, at the launch of the project “Improving the health of communities, women and children by eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.”

“El Salvador is proud to join these regional efforts to eliminate trachoma. Today, we are taking the first decisive step by launching trachoma search actions in priority communities. This effort represents an important step forward for the health of the Salvadoran population and has the decisive support of the PAHO/WHO office in our country,” said Álvarez.

For her part, the representative of the Canadian government, visiting El Salvador, Kim Cowan, indicated: “This contribution from Canada is a testament to our commitment to equity in public health. Our feminist international assistance policy underlines the importance of addressing inequalities. “Therefore, in this project, it is essential that we address the specific barriers faced by women, who are disproportionately affected by trachoma due to factors such as traditional caregiving roles and limited access to health services.”

Cowan recalled that in 2022, Canada signed a grant agreement to support PAHO in a five-year, $15 million Canadian project to accelerate efforts to eliminate trachoma from the Americas. In El Salvador, financial and technical support from Canada and PAHO will help scale up rapid trachoma assessments starting next September with the Ministry of Health under the leadership of a multidisciplinary technical team to identify priority areas and move forward with an action plan.

Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and is transmitted primarily through direct contact with the eye secretions of infected people. The disease disproportionately affects people living in conditions of extreme poverty. Factors contributing to transmission include overcrowding and poor hygiene and sanitation.

Women are estimated to be twice as likely to be affected by the disease and up to four times more likely than men to become blind from trachoma. This is due to a combination of factors, including traditional gender-based care roles in endemic communities, lack of education and limited access to basic health services.

PAHO is helping countries in the Americas accelerate efforts to eliminate this disease through integrated approaches focused on increasing access to health services, improving health information and surveillance systems, addressing social determinants and environmental health, and strengthening governance to leave no one behind.