Trachoma historical perspective
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Historical Perspective
The disease is one of the earliest recorded eye afflictions, having been identified as early as 27 B.C. Today, most victims of trachoma live in underdeveloped and poverty-stricken countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Rare in the United States, the disease can be treated with antibiotics and prevented with adequate hygiene and education. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "No national or international surveillance [for trachoma] exists. Blindness due to trachoma has been eliminated from the United States. The last cases were found among American Indian populations and in Appalachia."[1]
In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act designating funds for the eradication of the disease.[2] By the late 1930s, a number of ophthalmologists reported success in treating trachoma with sulfonamide antibiotics.[3] In 1948, Vincent Tabone (who was later to become the President of Malta) was entrusted with the supervision of a campaign in Malta to treat trachoma using sulfonamide tablets and drops.[4]
Although by the 1950s, trachoma had virtually disappeared from the industrialized world, thanks to improved sanitation and overall living conditions, it continues to plague the developing world. This potentially blinding disease remains endemic in the poorest regions of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and in some parts of Latin America and Australia. Currently, 8 million people are visually impaired as a result of trachoma, and 84 million suffer from active infection. The people that went through Ellis Island had to be checked for trachoma.
References
- ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/trachoma_t.htm
- ↑ Allen SK, Semba RD. "The trachoma menace in the United States, 1897-1960." Surv Ophthalmol. 2002 Sep-Oct;47(5):500-9. PMID 12431697.
- ↑ Thygeson P. "The Treatment of Trachoma with Sulfanilamide: A Report of 28 Cases." Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 1939;37:395-403. PMID 16693194.
- ↑ Ophthalmology in Malta, C. Savona Ventura, University of Malta, 2003