**7. Conclusion**

There is a real chance that trachoma will be eliminated as a public health problem in our lifetime [14, 20]. Following over two decades of sustained "SAFE" strategy, the disease burden of trachoma has been substantially reduced. As we near the end, research efforts are now geared toward accurate diagnosis of trachoma infection and monitoring of symptoms. Several studies have shown that mass distribution of azithromycin antibiotic also provides ancillary benefits such as the reduction infectious diseases and childhood mortality [55]. For these efforts to be sustainable, integrating trachoma programs with other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) may prove cost-effective in many ways [44].
