Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Blog: Numbers of blind people could double by 2020
03 Oct 2008 10:20:43 GMT
 Source: IRIN
NAIROBI, 3 October 2008 (IRIN) - Next week 9 October, is World Sight Day, an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment and to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 75 percent of blindness is avoidable through prevention or treatment. At least 90 percent of visually-impaired people live in low- and middle-income countries.

Commissionforafrica.org reports that in Africa alone, nearly 4 percent of the population (26,778 million people) are severely visually impaired, of whom more than 1 percent (6,782 million) are blind.

"Visual impairment has a profound impact on the quality of life of individuals and their communities, and greatly constrains the national potential for poverty alleviation and social and economic development … a conservative estimate of the annual direct economic productivity loss due to blindness and low vision in sub-Saharan Africa is US$1,830 million in 2000. Without concerted international action, this will rise to $4,374 million per year by 2020, the equivalent of 0.50 percent of GDP for the region."

According to the WHO, without intervention, the number of blind people worldwide could increase from 37 million in 2008 to 75 million by 2020.

ma/bp/mw

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  Czech ADRA project in Kenya
ADRA - Europe Africa Region

•  World Vision steps up efforts ahead of food aid launch
World Vision - International

•  Communities empowered to deal with natural disasters
World Vision MEERO - Cyprus

•  Zimbabwe food crisis looms if donors donot fund WFP appeal
CARE International - UK

•  Zimbabwe food crisis looms if donors donot fund WFP appeal
CARE International - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Blog: Numbers of blind people could double by 2020

•  BANGLADESH: Poor braced for "Monga" season

•  CHRONOLOGY-Rocky path of North Korea nuclear deal

•  Sri Lanka fighting kills 42, food reaches war zone

•  Kenya accuses West of "colonial" meddling

MORE >>

IRIN news


Related articles

Breaking stories
 Blog: Numbers of blind people could double by 2020 (1 minute ago)

BANGLADESH: Poor braced for "Monga" season (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Most Britons unaware of African conflicts - Red Cross survey (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Czech ADRA project in Kenya (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Civilians suffer as Pakistan army targets Taliban (1 minute ago)

Maps
 UPDATE: Reported Incidents of Somali Pirate Attacks & Hijackings in the Gulf of Aden (2008) (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-03T092555Z_01_ISL01_RTRIDSP_2_PAKISTAN-VIOLENCE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/ISL01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-03T075831Z_01_SIN32_RTRIDSP_2_SLOVAKIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN32.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-03T072706Z_01_SIN31_RTRIDSP_2_SLOVAKIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN31.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-03T072446Z_01_SIN30_RTRIDSP_2_SLOVAKIA_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN30.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-02T231933Z_01_STL405_RTRIDSP_2_USA-POLITICS-DEBATE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/STL405.htm

Supporters of Awami National Party (ANP) protest against a suicide blast on their party gathering on Thursday, in Hyderabad October 3, 2008. A suicide bomber killed himself and three other people ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Fri Oct 3 10:21:41 2008