Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection that is made worse by poor hygiene due to lack of adequate water for washing. Repeated infections can lead to blindness if left untreated. Trachoma affects women and children more than adult men (WHO, 2002). It spreads easily from child to child or from child to mother, either directly by hand contact or indirectly on clothing, or by flies that land on the face of an infected child. A 2007 study found that 40% of Ethiopian children in the age group 1–9 years were suffering from active trachoma infection (Berhane et al., 2007). Good personal hygiene and encouraging children to wash their faces can significantly reduce incidence of the disease.
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