TRACHOMA is one of the oldest infectious diseases known to mankind. It is responsible, at present, for 15 % of the world's blindness. Worldwide, there are about 6 million people largely irreversibly blinded by trachoma and an estimated 146 million cases of active disease in need of treatment, if blindness is to be prevented.

Today, the disease is found mainly in poor rural areas of most African countries, some countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, and in certain parts of Central and South America. Trachoma is still endemic in several Asian countries, but there is a lack of updated information from some major populations, such as India and China.

The agent is Chlamydia trachomatis - a microorganism resembling both bacteria and viruses, which spreads through contact with eye discharge from the infected person (on towels, handkerchiefs, fingers, etc.) and through transmission by eye-seeking flies. Chlamydia trachomatis provokes an inflammatory reaction in the eye with formation of follicles in the conjunctiva. After years of repeated infections, the inside of the eyelids may be scarred so severely that the eyelid turns inwards with eyelashes rubbing on the eyeball. If untreated, this condition leads to blindness.

Trachoma and related blindness can be prevented through the implementation of the "SAFE" strategy, which stands for Surgery for trichiasis (inturned eyelashes), Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement which is a combination of community-targeted public health interventions.

Recent field trials of a new and apparently effective drug, azithromycin, have been very encouraging. This long-acting antibiotic, developed and produced by Pfizer International, Inc., has been tested in a number of countries. The initial results look very promising: one dose of azithromycin per year could eliminate the blinding propensity of trachoma. Once its efficacy has been proven, the challenge will be to find the means to make this drug available to all those in need.