A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Survey of Trachoma among Migrant School Aged Children in Shanghai, China

Abstract

We investigated the prevalence of clinical trachoma in 154,265 children aged 6 to 16 years in 206 Shanghai migrant schools. Clean water availability in school, each child's facial cleanliness, eyelids, corneas, and the presenting distance visual acuities were examined. Trachoma was clinically diagnosed in accordance with the World Health Organization simplified classification. Eyes diagnosed with trachoma were swabbed to test for ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infections (OCTI) with a rapid latex immunochromatographic test. Among 153,977 students, no blindness was found related to trachoma. Trachoma was diagnosed in 8029 children (5.2%). In 87 schools clinical trachoma prevalence was higher than 5%. OCTI was confirmed in 2073 of 6823 trachoma diagnosed children (30.4%). Clinical trachoma prevalence was higher among females than males (p < 0.001), but gender comparison showed no statistical difference in the prevalence of OCTI (p = 0.077). Age and clinical trachoma (r = −0.014; p < 0.001) or OCTI (r = −0.026; p = 0.031) prevalence were negatively correlated. Clinical trachoma was different in different districts and counties (p < 0.001). Trachoma warrants close attention in Shanghai migrant children because the condition remains endemic in some schools.

The Association of Weight Status with Dental Caries and Trachoma Among School Children in Cities of Changsha and Shenzhen, China

“…21,22 While the prevalence of blindness caused by trachoma is happily on the decline, it remains endemic, nonetheless, among school children, particularly in rural areas. [23][24][25][26] Prevalence rates for obesity, dental caries, and trachoma in this study are comparable to those from other national metropolis samples. In the current study, we observed a negative association between weight status and the odds of dental caries and a "U" shaped relationship between weight status and the odds of trachoma.…”

Survey, Culture, and Genome Analysis of Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in Tibetan Boarding Primary Schools in Qinghai Province, China

“…One implication from this and previous work (Boost and Cho, 2005; Dong and Liu, 2013; Yu et al, 2014; Xue et al, 2016) is that boarding schools in rural areas and migrant schools in cities could be foci of disease and infection and could be a barometer for disease in the communities from which they originate. This information could then be used to direct structured or population based trachoma surveys in more remote or challenging regions or communities in China.…”

“…Two separate studies reported higher prevalence of trachoma in boarding schools (Boost and Cho, 2005; Yu et al, 2014). A recent study found trachoma to be prevalent in migrant schools of Shanghai, unfortunately without performing C. trachomatis PCR or genotyping (Xue et al, 2016). The fast growth of boarding and migrant schools in China is a feature of the country's developing society in rural areas and cities, respectively, as young parents work in urban industries and depend on boarding or migrant schools for their children's education.…”

Magnitude of Active Trachoma Among Host and Refugee Children in Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia

“…The finding is higher than from studies in Pakistan (1.9%), Brazil (8.2%), Darfur-Sudan (8%), Mozambique (10%), Senegal (5%), Uganda (3.9%), Yonan (0.02%), Shanghai (5.2%), Metema (11.8%), and Northwest Amhara (8.3%). 13,[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]…”