I am pleased to announce an exciting new initiative that will map the total scale of trachoma, a critical step in our efforts to eliminate blinding trachoma by 2020.

With the support of a significant grant from the British government, a consortium of organizations, including the International Trachoma Initiative, will, over the next three years, complete surveying over 30 of the world's poorest countries to identify where people live at risk of going blind from trachoma. (Read the press release here.)

At present, we estimate that trachoma affects more than 21 million people, with 210 million people worldwide living in trachoma-endemic areas and at risk of becoming blind. Once we are able to fully and accurately map the scale and location of trachoma, we will be able to more effectively deploy our resources where they will have maximum impact.

We are particularly excited that the UK funding ( £10.6 million GBP/$16.6 million USD) is going to the Global Trachoma Mapping Consortium. Led by Sightsavers, the consortium includes not only ITI but a range of other NGOs and academic institutions who together represent the best available expertise on trachoma treatment and prevention.

A process for mapping in each of the targeted countries will be developed immediately and we hope that the mapping itself can start as early as October this year.

We will keep you up-to-date on the progress of this initiative through our e-newsletter, Trachoma Matters. You can also visit ITI's website at trachoma.org and our sister websites, International Coalition for Trachoma Control and Trachoma Atlas, where the mapping data will also be published, shared and updated regularly.

The end of trachoma is in sight!

Dr. Danny Haddad

Director