Course Access
ACIPC is excited to announce that we are holding a Lunch and Learn webinar on Tuesday 29 April at 12:00 pm AEST.
Topic: The trachoma program in Queensland
Presenter: Wendy Morotti
Description:
Trachoma is an eye disease caused by particular strains of Chlamydia trachomatis. It is the leading cause of infectious, preventable blindness worldwide and Australia is the only high income country where pockets of disease are at endemic levels. The disease disproportionately affects First Nations communities in rural and remote locations where lack of well maintained health hardware, sustainable water and sanitation services and waste disposal remains a challenge. Repeated infections during childhood can lead to trachomatous conjunctival scarring and, in some individuals lead to trachomatous trichiasis, which if left untreated can lead to irreversible blindness.
Australia is a signatory to the WHO global elimination of trachoma strategy, it is based on 4 pillars, surgery for trichiasis, antibiotics for active infection, facial cleanliness and environmental activities.
Queensland Health has delivered a dedicated trachoma program with community stakeholders in previously at-risk communities since 2015. Using a combination of extended clinical assessment, performed by an ophthalmologist, and laboratory techniques, swabs to identify C.trachomatis via PCR as well as serosurveys to examine past exposure, Queensland Health has been able to cease active screening in the elimination phase of this program. The program continues to support facial cleanliness and environmental activities as well as provide support to other jurisdictions that are looking to better understand the epidemiology of trachoma in their populations.
About the presenter:
Wendy is Clinical Nurse Consultant Research – Trachoma Screening Nurse Coordinator at Communicable Disease Branch, Queensland Health. She has a background in public health nursing and public health information services, addiction and mental health services, and has worked for the United Nationas World Food Programme as a Public Health Advisor on Avian and Human Influenza and as Health and Safety Programme Advisor.
Wendy holds a Diploma of Applied Science Nursing and a Bachelor of Science degree from Queensland University of Technology, a Master of Science with Distinction in Health Information Science from the University of Warwick, and has post-graduate qualifications from Griffith University and from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
To register for this webinar, please click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gWeEuIRwQV-sbmwBQbrNdA