Could a simple soap and water routine blunt a leading cause of blindness?
NCT ID NCT07767578
First seen Aug 17, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether teaching families to wash children's hands and faces with soap can lower the rate of active trachoma, a bacterial eye infection that can lead to blindness. About 990 children aged 1-9 in central Ethiopia will take part, with some households receiving a structured 24-week program of hygiene education and soap provision. The study will compare trachoma rates between groups to see if this practical, low-cost approach helps prevent the disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A structured behavioral intervention promoting hand and face washing with soap, including health education, behavior change communication, skills training, and practical demonstrations over 24 weeks.
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this simple, low-cost hygiene practice could become a widely used strategy to prevent trachoma in children, reducing blindness risk in affected regions.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is early-stage and relies on caregivers' adherence to the behavior, which may vary. Results may not generalize beyond the specific Ethiopian districts studied.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 990 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * All selected households in the South Sodo, Sodo, Silti, and East Silti districts with children 1-9 years of age. * Participants who have lived in the area for at least six months before the study. * Mothers or caregivers who give informed consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Mothers or caregivers who are critically ill at the time of data collection, * Children with severe ocular disease that prevents accurate assessment of active trachoma, * Households planning permanent relocation
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.