Community-Based Action for the Control of Trachoma

Hollows, Fred

doi:10.1093/clinids/7.6.777

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Experience with the Australian aborigines showed that the two basic defects of behaviour in trachomatous groups are excessive contact of individuals with bodily secretions of others, and inadequate washing. 12 This tends to revalidate the link between personal hygiene and trachoma control.…”

Section: Socio-cultural and Ethnic Characteristics Of Trachomamentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the community perspectives of trachoma: The Gambia as a case study

Ajewole

Faal

Johnson

et al. 2001

Ophthalmic Epidemiology

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Trachoma has justifiably attracted an incredibly large amount of research interest and literature over the last several decades. Perhaps, the area which is least explored is the social aspect of the disease. Most of the major constraints to trachoma control on the global scale appear to be concerned with this aspect of the disease. Recently, a study was conducted in The Gambia with the aim of highlighting the socio-cultural determinants of trachoma. We applied qualitative methods of Focus Group Discussion and Semi-structured interview to explore the local people's concepts of the disease among two traditional ethnic groups, the Jolas and the Manjagos, in five rural communities. Our results show that there appears to be a poor understanding of the chronic nature of the active inflammatory phase of trachoma among the local people. But more importantly, there is a lack of mental connection between this childhood infection and blindness resulting from trichiasis in adults. This probably explains why it is difficult for the people in these communities to see the need for prolonged use of antibiotic eye ointment as required in the treatment of active inflammatory trachoma. Moreover, the local concepts about the cause(s) of the disease tend to compel the people to seek the traditional herbal remedies first, though there is adequate knowledge and experience among them that modern methods of treatment may produce cure, as in the case of corrective lid surgery for trichiasis. This ambivalent attitude of the people to health services appear to be a universal phenomenon in many local communities in Africa, and perhaps hinges on the local people's perspective of the disease, which varies from place to place. We conclude that for any intervention strategy to achieve the set goals of eliminating trachoma in spite of these constraints, community support and participation is essential, and in order to achieve this, the health care provider needs to have a better understanding of the community perspectives of the disease.

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Section: Socio-cultural and Ethnic Characteristics Of Trachomamentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the community perspectives of trachoma: The Gambia as a case study

Ajewole

Faal

Johnson

et al. 2001

Ophthalmic Epidemiology

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“…The clustering of this disease in populations that are poor and marginalized has been attributed to the social conditions of these communities 5,8,9 . As such, a range of hygiene related behaviours have been proposed 10 involving community surveys, better housing, and the establishment of clean water supply and better sewerage systems 11,12 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variation in trachoma and bush flies in north‐western Australian Aboriginal communities

Cruz

Dadour

McAllister

et al. 2002

Clinical Exper Ophthalmology

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“…No trials have explored the complex relationship between cultural factors and trachoma; however, a paper by late ophthalmologist Associate Professor Fred Hollows described cultural dislocation as “a more significant factor in trachoma endemicity than is often realised” 27 . Regarding ecology, data from NTEHP surveys in the Northern Territory (NT) found that a dry and dusty climate is linked to a higher prevalence of active trachoma 28 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trachoma in remote Indigenous Australia: a review and public health perspective

Warren

Birrell

2016

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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Objectives: Trachoma remains a major health concern in many remote Indigenous Australian communities, despite behaviour-modifying and biomedical strategies. This review aims to examine the social epidemiology of trachoma in remote Indigenous communities and identify practical, sustainable strategies to alter the social determinants of the disease. Methods:A systematic search and critical review explored the proximal, intermediate and distal determinants of trachoma. The impact of swimming pools in remote Indigenous communities on trachoma and other infectious diseases was further examined.

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Community-Based Action for the Control of Trachoma

Cited by 13 publications

References 7 publications

Understanding the community perspectives of trachoma: The Gambia as a case study

Understanding the community perspectives of trachoma: The Gambia as a case study

Seasonal variation in trachoma and bush flies in north‐western Australian Aboriginal communities

Trachoma in remote Indigenous Australia: a review and public health perspective

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