Tropical Public Health and Global Eye Care

Chapter 7 reviews infections frequently found in the tropics as they affect the eye. Some cause local disease, viz. trachoma, while others are systemically-sourced, such as microfilariae of onchocerciasis. There are successful eradication programs for trachoma and onchocerciasis, but none are 100% successful, and much work remains to maintain their eradication. This is because the particular type of organism, often a parasite from an insect bite, cannot be eliminated in the same way as some virus diseases with immunisation, viz. measles, and even that needs constant attention. Microbial keratitis remains a particular and frequent problem, especially in rural workers, often due to a mixed bacterial and fungal aetiology. Some countries, viz. India, have made good progress by managing the problem with rural eye care workers and basic laboratories along with a supply of affordable drops, produced in India, of antibiotics against both bacteria and fungi.