The world's most common cause of inflammatory blindness is far from the conscience of most Americans. Trachoma actively afflicts 150 million people in 55 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and rural Australia. Six million have been blinded by corneal scars. By way of comparison, the number with active disease is similar to half the population of the United States; the number of blind is similar to the population of Massachusetts. The disease is believed to incur costs of some dollar3 billion annually. Like most diseases endemic to low-income countries, trachoma victimizes poor communities that are scarcely prepared to seek treatment or cope with the socioeconomic repercussions of disability. This is particularly unfortunate because industrialized countries possess the tools to treat people with virtually any phase of involvement. The fundamental problem posed by this communicable condition, however, is not simply how to treat individuals but rather whole communities.
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