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Reference ID U27ZIA

Headline Trachoma in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region

Description The causal agent of trachoma is commonly called a "virus", but in fact it belongs to a group of micro-organisms which have characters distinguishing them from both viruses and bacteria. Fortunately, unlike true viruses, they are susceptible to sulfonamides and antibiotics and mass treatment programmes. Some 30 laboratories in five continents were working on this mysterious "virus". Experimental vaccines were under trial and encouraging results had been reported in studies on simians, human volunteers and population groups at risk. Further laboratory and field research was needed, however, before the feasibility of mass immunization against trachoma could be judged. The Virological Research Laboratory of the Institute of Ophthalmology, Tunis, is one of many laboratories which were receiving encouragement and support from the World Health Organization as part of a global programme of medical research into diseases affecting developing countries. Part of the work included field research on the Island of Djerba and in South East Tunisia - some 500 kms from Tunis. Scraping from the conjunctiva and samples of blood were taken from 2.000 school children in the area during an annual clinical case-finding examination. The conjunctival scrapings were rushed by car and plane to Tunis for isolation and cultivation of the virus strains in embryonated eggs. These studies were carried out to determine the degree of correlation between laboratory findings and clinical diagnosis and to test the sensitivity of local strains of virus to different antibiotics. The blood samples were being used for immunological studies.

A schoolboy at Srendi, Djerba, writes an essay on the human eye.

Asset date 01/01/1962

Country, area, WHO office Tunisia

Location Djerba Island

WHO Region EMRO

Consent No

File size 1.67 MB

Visibility class:

Public

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