Reaching remote Amazonian communities to eliminate trachoma

Maximising efficiency From 2012–2016, the Colombian Ministry of Health researched and created maps showing where trachoma was most prevalent in its Amazonian districts. This was needed to identify all people at risk of trachoma, and to understand where resources had to be allocated. Reaching indigenous communities in the Amazonian districts presented major logistical challenges and required substantial resources due to the contrasting landscapes and limited travel routes. Sometimes, flights had to be chartered; at other times, boats had to be carried along trails where rapids or waterfalls interrupted river travel routes.