How many people get trachoma every year?

How many people get trachoma every year?

Trachoma is a disease that can cause blindness and visual impairment in about 1.9 million people every year.

What is the epidemiology of trachoma?

It was estimated that in 2002 at least 1.3 million people were blind from trachoma, and currently 40 million people are thought to have active disease and 8.2 million to have trichiasis. The disease is largely found in poor, rural communities in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Which areas see several million cases of ocular trachoma every year?

Distribution. Trachoma is hyperendemic in many of the poorest and most rural areas of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. It is responsible for the blindness or visual impairment of about 1.9 million people.

What is the most common cause of blindness in trachoma?

Trachoma is the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness of infectious origin 1. Caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, trachoma is easily spread through direct personal contact, shared towels and cloths, and flies that have come in contact with the eyes or nose of an infected person.

Is there a vaccine for trachoma?

Currently, there is no vaccine for trachoma. Trachoma experts estimate that approximately 1.3 million people are blind from trachoma, 1.8 million people have low vision as a result of the disease, and an estimated 40 million people have active trachoma.

Why is trachoma rare in the United States?

The condition is rare in the United States. However, it is more likely to occur in crowded or unclean living conditions. Trachoma is spread through direct contact with infected eye, nose, or throat fluids. It can also be passed by contact with contaminated objects, such as towels or clothes.

Is trachoma the same as pink eye?

The term conjunctivitis is applied to any form of inflammatory, change affecting the conjunctiva, while trachoma is a variety of conjunctivitis, the full name of which is conjunctivitis trachoma- tosa.

Where is trachoma most common?

Trachoma can occur worldwide but is more common in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. When in regions where trachoma is common, take extra care in practicing good hygiene, which can help prevent infection.

What are the stages of trachoma?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified five stages in the development of trachoma:

• Inflammation — follicular.
• Inflammation — intense.
• Eyelid scarring.
• In-turned eyelashes (trichiasis).
• Corneal clouding (opacity).

What STD can make you go blind?

Syphilis can infect people’s eyeballs — here’s how the STD could leave you blind. A rare manifestation of syphilis that affects the eyes, called ocular syphilis, can lead to blindness. Ocular syphilis may be on the rise the US, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

How is trachoma of the eye treated?

In the early stages of trachoma, treatment with antibiotics alone may be enough to eliminate the infection. Your doctor may prescribe tetracycline eye ointment or oral azithromycin (Zithromax).

What happened to you if you had trachoma?

At first, trachoma may cause mild itching and irritation of your eyes and eyelids. Then you may notice swollen eyelids and pus draining from the eyes. Untreated trachoma can lead to blindness. Trachoma is the leading preventable cause of blindness worldwide.