New Leadership Team at International Trachoma Initiative to Build Stronger Partnerships...

New Leadership Team at International Trachoma Initiative to Build Stronger
Partnerships to Eliminate Blinding Trachoma

Priority is collaborating effectively with government and NGO partners and
strengthening the supply chain for delivering Pfizer-donated Zithromax

ATLANTA, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Trachoma
Initiative (ITI) has a new leadership team focused on creating effective
collaborations among governments and NGOs in 56 trachoma endemic countries.
Through stronger partnerships, ITI hopes to support local, national, regional,
and international groups in reaching the goal of eliminating blinding trachoma
globally by 2020. The leadership team has extensive experience in trachoma
programming and addressing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

"We see ITI as a partner among partners in the global trachoma community,"
said Dr. Danny Haddad, ITI Director. "Governments and NGOs are committed to
implementing the SAFE strategy -- Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness,
and Environmental improvements -- used to treat and prevent trachoma. We are
setting up a Trachoma Expert Committee with experts in water, sanitation,
health communications and surgery."

When ITI merged with the Task Force for Global Health in April 2009, Jeffrey
B. Kindler, the Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, which supplies the antibiotic
Zithromax that treats and prevents trachoma, stated, "We look forward to
continuing our support and working through ITI and its Trachoma Expert
Committee to provide the Zithromax that will be needed to eliminate blinding
trachoma by 2020 and restore the health and well-being of families now and
generations to come."

"The Zithromax drug donation program remains the key priority," said Haddad.
"With this renewed commitment from Pfizer, our top goal is to make sure that
Zithromax is distributed on time and in the right quantity to our partner
countries."

Dr. Haddad is joined by four key staff members:

-- Associate Director Lisa Rotondo has extensive public health program
management and evaluation experience, with an emphasis on trachoma and
other NTDs in Africa.
-- Supply Chain Manager Vivian Singletary has worked over 15 years on
managing supply chain optimization projects, including mid- to
long-term
strategy, IT system implementations and process improvement.
-- Project Manger PJ Hooper, who oversees a Gates Foundation grant
supporting NTD integration research, has conducted operational
research
on Lymphatic Filariasis and NTDs for another Gates grant to the Global
Alliance to Eliminate LF.

-- Program Accounting Manager Edward Nyankson has 16 years experience in
accounting and financial reporting, tax, securities exchange and
regulatory reporting.

ITI has program offices in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Tanzania and Vietnam.

www.trachoma.org

SOURCE The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI)

Geoffrey Knox, +1-212-229-0540, ITI