Trachoma is first and foremost a disease of morbidity, reflecting suffering and disability, in contrast with mortality, which reflects the rate of death. The burden of disease is an effective framework for discussing trachoma since it takes into account the effects of morbidity and mortality on the ability to fulfill societal roles. The burden of disease looks beyond the prevalence of a disease; that is, it attempts to measure the impact of disease based on its distribution by sex and age
