Prevention

If you've been treated for trachoma with antibiotics or surgery, reinfection is always a concern. For your protection and for the safety of others, be sure that family members or others you live with are screened and, if necessary, treated for trachoma.

Trachoma can occur worldwide but is more common in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. When in regions where trachoma is common, take extra care in practicing good hygiene, which can help prevent infection.

Proper hygiene practices include:

• Face washing and hand-washing. Keeping faces and hands clean may help break the cycle of reinfection.
• Fly control. Reducing fly populations can help eliminate a source of transmission.
• Proper waste management. Properly disposing of animal and human waste can reduce breeding grounds for flies.
• Improved access to water. Having a fresh water source nearby can help improve hygienic conditions.

No trachoma vaccine is available, but prevention is possible. The WHO has developed a strategy to prevent trachoma, with the goal of eliminating it by 2020. While the goal hasn't been entirely achieved, trachoma cases have declined sharply. The strategy, titled SAFE, involves:

• Surgery to treat advanced forms of trachoma
• Antibiotics to treat and prevent the infection
• Facial cleanliness
• Environmental improvements, particularly in water, sanitation and fly control