HUNDREDS of thousands of children in Morocco have been saved from blindness
by a programme that relies on the commitment of Morocco’s government and the
generosity of pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer. It has been hailed as a model for
tackling disease in developing countries.
“It’s a real source of inspiration for other countries with the problem,”
says Jeff Mecaskey, programme director of the International Trachoma Initiative,
the charity directing the scheme. Set up three years ago, the ITI aims to rid
the world of trachoma, a form of blindness caused by the bacterium Chlamydia
trachomatis. ITI has already reduced the incidence…
