Abstract Background Trachoma is an infectious disease of the eye caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and transmitted via contact with discharge from infected persons leading to blindness worldwide. Children less than 9 years age affected more seriously. The common where access water sanitation are limited. Objective To determine prevalence active trachoma associated factors among children aged 1–9 ...

Trachoma currently represents one of the three main causes of ‘avoidable’ blindness and reaches intolerable dimensions in many developing countries. It was endemic in many regions of eastern Spain until well into the twentieth century. The aim of this paper is to analyze the epidemiological development of this disease in contemporary Spain; to examine its determining factors, particularly envir...

Everybody is aware of the annoyance and irritation caused by flies as they buzz around food and crawl over skin. In trachoma endemic areas, flies are frequently seen clustering around the face and eyes of children where they feed on mucus and discharge (Fig.1). This association of flies with the faces of infected children has not gone unnoticed, and they have been considered as vectors of trach...

BACKGROUND Trachoma, a preventable blinding eye disease, is initiated by ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). We previously showed that microRNAs (miR) -147b and miR-1285 were up-regulated in inflammatory trachomatous scarring. During the initial stage of disease, follicular trachoma with current Ct infection, the differential expression of miR has not yet been investigated. METH...

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, and responsible for the loss of an estimated 1.3 million disability-adjusted life years, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Geographically, trachoma is a greater public health risk in dry, dusty, and hot settings, where poor, rural communities suffer a disproportionate burden of disease. Trachoma is caused by infection with the bac...

Trachoma is a progressive and miserable disease. Initiated by frequent and repeated ocular infections with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, scars on the inside of the eyelids contract, disrupting the lid margin and causing the eyelashes to rotate inwards until they rest against the eye. With each excruciating blink, the lashes damage the sensitive cornea leading to corneal opacity and irrev...

BACKGROUND Active trachoma is not uniformly distributed in endemic areas, and local environmental factors influencing its prevalence are not yet adequately understood. Determining whether clustering is a consistent phenomenon may help predict likely modes of transmission and help to determine the appropriate level at which to target control interventions. The aims of this study were, therefore,...

BACKGROUND Cameroon is known to be endemic with trachoma. To appreciate the burden of the disease and facilitate the national planning of trachoma control in the integrated control program for the neglected tropical diseases, an epidemiological mapping of trachoma was conducted in the Far North region in 2010-11. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional, cluster random sampling survey was carried out. T...

BACKGROUND The leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide is trachoma, a condition caused by an infection of the inner eyelid. In Niger, a landlocked republic in Western Africa, surveys in 1988-89 identified trachoma as endemic in all but one region and, as a result, there is a National Prevention of Blindness Program plan to eliminate trachoma by 2015. METHODS Thirty-one districts in e...

BACKGROUND Blinding trachoma, caused by ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, is targeted for global elimination by 2020. Knowledge of risk factors can help target control interventions. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS As part of a cluster randomised controlled trial, we assessed the baseline prevalence of, and risk factors for, active trachoma and ocular C. trachomatis infection in ran...