Women and trachoma

Globally, 1.9 million people are blind or visually impaired because of trachoma, and a further 182 million are at risk of going blind because of the disease. It is four times more likely to affect women than men in developing countries.

This is because the disease is caused by a bacterial infection that is transmitted from person to person, usually by dirty hands or faeces. As women are often caregivers to their family and carry out tasks such as laundry, child rearing and taking care of sick family members, they are more likely to be exposed to infection. But many women are fighting back, working towards eliminating trachoma within their communities.