Risk factors

Factors that increase your risk of contracting trachoma include:

• Crowded living conditions. People living in close contact are at greater risk of spreading infection.
• Poor sanitation. Poor sanitary conditions, inadequate access to water, and lack of hygiene, such as unclean faces or hands, help spread the disease.
• Age. In areas where the disease is active, it's most common in children ages 4 to 6.
• Sex. In some areas, women's rate of contracting the disease is two to six times higher than that of men. This may be attributed to the fact that women have more contact with children, who are the primary reservoir of infection.
• Flies. People living in areas with problems controlling the fly population may be more susceptible to infection.