World Sight Day 2015 – Briefing Call on Trachoma
Listen to a podcast of Trachoma: A Journey to Elimination
- Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide.
- It is found in areas with poor access to clean water and sanitation – generally rural and impoverished areas – where poor hygiene, water shortages and inadequate sanitation facilities prevail.
- Women are 2-3 times more likely to develop trichiasis – the final blinding stage of the disease which is incredibly painful – largely due to their role as caregivers of children, who are more vulnerable to repeated infections
- Trachoma has been directly linked to perpetuating cycles of poverty. WHO estimates the economic loss incurred by the disease in terms of lost productivity is US$2.9-5.3 billion annually.
- Helen Keller’s work in trachoma treatment and prevention dates back to the 1950s.
- The next countries expected to achieve elimination are Nepal, Cambodia and Myanmar in Asia, and Niger, Mali and Cameroon in Africa.
Learn more about our work in treating and eliminating trachoma and other diseases of poverty.
Stories of Impact
Thierno Faye recounts his experience meeting a Nazifi Aminou who desperately needed eye surgery, and how HKI was able to fund the procedure without his family having to pay anything.
10 New Steps Toward Eliminating Trachoma
The team from HKI-Tanzania recount a recent chance to witness further steps toward trachoma elimination as an exciting new internvention program is launched across the country.
