Epidemiology
Worldwide, trachoma is known to be endemic in 42 countries, although some countries remain to be fully assessed.[1] It is confined to regions of disadvantage, largely in Africa but also in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific Islands, and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.[2] As of 2022, elimination of trachoma as a public health problem has been validated by the World Health Organization in 17 countries. A further five countries report having achieved the prevalence targets for elimination.[3]
Trachoma is responsible for blindness or visual impairment in 1.9 million people; approximately 125 million people live in areas where they are at risk of blinding trachoma.[1] The prevalence of active trachoma can reach 60% to 90% among preschool-aged children in endemic areas.[1]
There are currently no reports of blinding trachoma in the US. It was eliminated from major US cities in the early 1900s as hygiene improved. However, it was not eliminated from all the American Indian reservations until the 1960s, when large-scale antibiotic treatment programs were undertaken using oral sulfonamide drugs.[4]
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