Can Blinding Trachoma Be Eliminated Worldwide?

Abstract
THE NEWLY announced International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) is the latest effort to eliminate blindness caused by trachoma. Of the 38 million blind people in the world, 6 million (15.5%) are blind because of trachoma and 11 million need eyelid surgery for trichiasis and entropion. One hundred fifty million children have the active, infectious form of trachoma, which can be controlled with antibiotic treatment.1,2 Adults with scarred eyelids and children infected with Chlamydia trachomatis compose the reservoir for future generations of individuals who become blind because of trachoma.
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