We came across a great article today on trachoma written by Emilie Filou published in the UK’s Guardian newspaper.  Brief excerpt below, to read the full article click here.

Please also watch the video below taken by Elizabeth Kurylo of the International Trachoma Initiative. A group of school children at a rural school in Uganda sing a song about how to avoid trachoma!

It’s a special day at Namungalwe primary school in Ikanga district, Uganda. Instead of science or English, students are attending a mass drug administration (MDA) programme. Outside each classroom, a multicoloured height chart has been stuck on the wall and students queue for their turn to be measured. Teachers enter the students’ height in a neat register and hand over the corresponding dose of Zithromax, an antibiotic used in the treatment and prevention of trachoma, an eye infection that can cause blindness.

There are hundreds more MDAs taking place in Uganda and around the world. Trachoma, which forces the eyelid to turn inwards and causes the eyelashes to scratch the cornea, is the leading cause of preventable blindness. More than 40 million people are infected with the disease; roughly half the global burden is concentrated in five countries (Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Nigeria and Sudan). The disease thrives among poor communities, where overcrowding, poor hygiene and lack of clean water help spread the bacteria.