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The Gambia has become 2nd African country to end trachoma — WHO

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The Gambia has become the second country in Africa to eliminate trachoma, one of the leading causes of blindness.

The achievement was announced by the World Health Organization on Tuesday April 20, 2021. 

The announcement came after decades of work on the disease, which has damaged the sight of about 1.9 million people worldwide. 

It was reported by WHO that Ghana was the first country in Africa to eliminate the disease in 2018.

"The Gambian government and aid organisations have spent years identifying and treating patients in rural areas, often going from door to door," the report says. 

Infection is spread from person to person through hands, clothes or bedding, and by flies. 

According to the WHO, the disease often spreads widely within communities and is common among children.

Trachoma is one of the WHO’s 20 neglected tropical diseases, which predominantly affect low-income countries and are historically underfunded in research for treatments.

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