Trachoma
 Trachoma
is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide.
It is caused by infection with the Chlamydia
trachomatis bacteria, making it both
treatable and preventable. There is no need for
a single person to go blind from trachoma, yet that
is the fate of more than 7 million people worldwide,
with an additional 500 million at risk. Trachoma
affects the poorest of the poor - people marginalized
and neglected in developing countries who are already
under the heavy burden of numerous other infectious
diseases.
Compounding the misery of lost eyesight
are the devastating economic and social impacts
for communities already on the edge of survival.
Yet, there is hope. Although blindness from trachoma
is irreversible, simple prevention measures such
as health education and antibiotics distribution
can vastly reduce the incidence of the disease as
well as its impact upon vulnerable communities.
The Trachoma Control Program does not just fight
disease; it fights the conditions that perpetuate
disease: poverty, poor sanitation, lack of knowledge,
and hopelessness. Together, The Carter Center and
its program partners, the ministries of health in
Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan,
with the generous support of the Conrad N. Hilton
Foundation and Lions Clubs International Foundation,
are working to build a brighter future for those
at risk for this devastating disease.
Women who develop trichiasis are considered
economic burdens, are often divorced from their
husbands and children, and are sent back to their
parents' homes.
Trachoma
Breaks Families
The advanced stage of trachoma, trichiasis - the
inward turning of eyelashes that leads to corneal
abrasion and eventual blindness - causes extraordinary
pain and discomfort to the sufferer. Sunlight, dust,
and smoke all irritate the eyes and make the pain
worse. Women are approximately three times more
likely to have trichiasis than men. Because active
trachoma becomes trichiasis later in life, usually
around age 35 although sometimes earlier, the condition
makes it extremely uncomfortable for women to cook
over smoky fires, collect water in bright sun, or
farm in dusty fields. Usually the main workers in
the house, women incapacitated with trichiasis become
a burden. While older women with trichiasis may
be looked after by their children, younger ones
are frequently divorced by their husbands and sent
back to their parents. In some communities in Ethiopia
and Sudan, as many as 20 percent of women over 15
have trichiasis and risk these social and economic
punishments for their illness.
Trachoma
Reduces Productivity
The economic impact of trachoma has been estimated
at USD$2.9 billion per year. In the countries where
The Carter Center fights trachoma, the average annual
income is between USD$100 and USD$370. Trachoma
only deepens the despair and poverty in these communities.
Trachoma
Is Widespread
Ethiopia is estimated to have the highest level
of blindness in the world, and a third of these
cases are caused by trachoma. A national survey
in Niger found that 44 percent of children under
10 had trachoma. The disease most particularly devastates
women's lives, as three out of four blind women
in endemic areas lost their sight to trachoma.
There
Is Hope
Through community empowerment, real success in trachoma-endemic
communities can be achieved. In Niger, as community
education was being implemented and latrines were
being built, a new problem arose: The communities
did not have access to affordable soap, or in some
cases, any soap. Riding the wave of knowledge and
experiencing visible progress in their communities,
villages revived the lost craft of soap making.
Ingredients are available and the process is simple,
providing not only an affordable method of sanitation
for the community but also a new product that women
can sell to generate income.
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