Article · Somali Region, Ethiopia
Fighting blindness: the road to trachoma elimination in Somali Region
Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, triggered by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It thrives wherever access to clean water and sanitation is limited.
The Approach
Ethiopia’s response: the WHO-endorsed SAFE strategy
Four coordinated components — two that treat the disease, two that stop it returning.
Surgery
Corrective surgery for trichiasis, before the eyelashes scar the cornea.
Antibiotics
Mass treatment to clear infection across whole communities at once.
Facial cleanliness
Clean faces break the cycle of transmission between children.
Environmental improvement
Water and sanitation infrastructure that removes the conditions trachoma needs.
The Evidence
From baseline to impact: five years of published research
Two peer-reviewed studies bookend the program — one mapping the burden before implementation, one measuring what changed.
Epidemiology of trachoma and its implications for implementing the SAFE strategy
Ophthalmic Epidemiology — establishing the scale of the burden across the region before intervention.
Read the baseline study →Prevalence of trachoma in Somali region: results from impact surveys
International Health — measuring prevalence after years of SAFE implementation.
Read the impact results →WASH and Sustainability
Medicine treats the infection. Water keeps it away.
While medical interventions have been successful, the environmental (E) and facial cleanliness (F) components remain a challenge for long-term sustainability.
Water access
Only 18% of households have access to an improved drinking water source within a 30-minute trip.
Sanitation
Only 25% of households have access to an improved latrine.
The Goal
To prevent the disease from returning, there is an urgent need for greater investment in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure across the entire region.
Help us finish the job in Somali Region
Elimination is within reach — but only if WASH investment catches up with the medical gains already made.
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