Health workers from Aola Rural Health Clinic have reached Sanalumu Community High School (CHS) in Valasi Ward, East Central Guadalcanal, as part of an ongoing trachoma awareness and dose distribution campaign.
The program, targeting students, teachers, and parents, is part of a larger initiative to curb the spread of trachoma—a leading cause of preventable blindness—within high-risk communities.
Speaking to the Solomon Star, supervising health worker Mr. Davidson Olofisau said, the team has been given just eight days to complete the roll-out, focusing only on major public hot-spots.
“Due to the short time-frame, the roll-out targets four communities and four Community High Schools,” Mr. Olofisau said.
“We started from Bolale CHS and moved on to Moga. The schools include Bolale, Sanalumu, Bebe, and Mboeni Community High Schools, along with surrounding communities near Aola RHC.”
Mr. Olofisau confirmed that the trachoma treatment is being administered to individuals aged five years and above.
However, he noted that the limited time would prevent the team from reaching the entire population.
Despite the challenges, the arrival of the health team at Sanalumu was met with appreciation.
Head teacher of Sanalumu Primary School, Mr. Richard Raesi, expressed his gratitude.
“I am happy to see the team reaching our school,” he said.
“As teachers, we must ensure our students live in healthy conditions. Our eyes are very important, especially for our children, so we must care for them.”
“On behalf of the teachers here at Sanalumu, I would like to thank the Aola health team for providing us with such an important health service,” Mr. Raesi added.
Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It is a leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.
By John Chrisma
Solomon Star Online
