Amal Sarsour, Al Shaarawi Salem
The widespread dissemination of trachoma throughout the world and the jeopardy of subsequent blindness make this eye disease a momentous public health crisis in many parts of the world. World Health Organization has considered the trachoma threat to be associated with poor water services, limited access to healthcare in addition to personal and community hygiene. Even supposing trachoma was eradicated from most of the developed countries in the last century, this infectious disease persists in numerous parts of the developing nations mainly in the societies without sufficient access to water and sanitation. Based on PubMed keywords, there were a few studies reported about Trachoma among Gazan people. Our study was aimed to discuss the potentiality of trachoma pervasiveness in the Gaza strip due to water scarcity in this area and suggest preventative measures according to WHO SAFE strategy for trachoma control. This paper reviews existing literature and discusses the possibilities of trachoma prevalence in the Gaza strip, Palestine due to water scarcity and precautions according to WHO SAFE strategy for trachoma control. Based on PubMed keywords, there was only one study that evaluated the prevalence of Trachoma in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian Territories implemented in 1988. There was a consensus among scholars on the correlation between water availability and Trachoma.
