Prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma among 1–9 years old children in Deguatemben, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2018: community cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Trachoma is a contagious infection of the eye. World Health Organization recommended three rounds of mass drug administration in districts where the prevalence of trachomatous follicular (TF) is ≥10% in children aged 1-9 years. Mass drug distribution was given to residents for three consecutive years with more than 90% coverage. However, the prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma in the study community after the intervention was not yet determined. Thus, this deals with the prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma among children aged 1-9 years. Methods: We conducted a Community based cross-sectional study among 502 children aged 1-9 in March 2018 in Deguatemben. A multi-stage sampling technique was applied. Selected children were examined for trachoma using 2.5x binocular loupe and graded based on the WHO simplified grading system. Mothers were interviewed for factors associated with trachoma using a structured questionnaire. Data was entered on Epi-Info and exported to SPSS for analysis. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were done with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at a pvalue < 0.05 for the final model. Results: The prevalence of active trachoma was found 21.5% (95% CI: 17.8-25.1%). Being 1 to 4 years old [AOR (95% CI) = 6.81(2.00-23.11)], not washing face [AOR (95% CI) =9.31(1.13-77.66)], not using soap [AOR (95% CI) = 5.84(1.87-18.21)], unclean face [AOR(95% CI) = 18.22(4.93-69.32)] and mother's knowledge [AOR (95% CI) = 0.06(0.02-0.19)] were found as independent predictors. Conclusion: The prevalence declined from the baseline, but it is still a public health problem in the district. Personal-related factors were found to be associated with the disease. Health education of "Facial cleanness" and related factors is recommended to increase knowledge of the mothers on their children's care in addition to the provision of antibiotics.

Effectiveness of azithromycin mass drug administration on trachoma: a systematic review

“…The effects of annual azithromycin MDA for ≥3 years were investigated in 25 studies [4,8,46–68] . The baseline prevalence of TF in these 25 studies ranged from 10.0% to 69.0%.…”

“…Additionally, nine studies with baseline TF 12.0% to 50.5% reported that the prevalence of TF was close to elimination threshold (5.0%–10.0%) [51,56,61–67] . However, the follow-up TF was still high (10.0%–43.5%) in 10 studies, which had a high baseline TF (30.0%–60.0%) [46–50,52–55,58] . Moreover, three studies conducted trachoma surveys in multiple districts and assessed the number of districts that reached TF <5.0% after azithromycin MDA [8,59,60] .…”

Active Trachoma Prevalence and Related Variables among Children in a Pastoralist Community in Southern Ethiopia in 2021: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…It can cause pain and disruptions for the people affected, their relatives, and their communities, as well as school dropouts, economic loss, and a deterioration in the quality of life. 9,10 In locations where trachoma is endemic, surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental hygiene techniques are being used for prevention and control. 3,11 According to the WHO report of 2020, in 44 nations around the world, trachoma affects the public's health.…”

“…9 Studies conducted in other areas of Ethiopia similarly presented a high prevalence, including 21.5% in Deguatemben, Tigray, 15.2% in the Lemo District, southern Ethiopia, 22.5% in the Gonji Kolella District, West Gojjam, and 36.7% in the Zala District, Gamo Gofa Zone. These studies have contributed to our understanding of many aspects of the trachoma problem, including the magnitude of trachoma, risk factors, and effectiveness of control measures, 9,10,12 and have emphasized the necessity for continued measures to control trachoma. 5,10,21 There has not previously been a study providing information on trachoma in the Oromia region of the Liben District.…”

“…These studies have contributed to our understanding of many aspects of the trachoma problem, including the magnitude of trachoma, risk factors, and effectiveness of control measures, 9,10,12 and have emphasized the necessity for continued measures to control trachoma. 5,10,21 There has not previously been a study providing information on trachoma in the Oromia region of the Liben District. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was carried out to ascertain the prevalence of active trachoma and associated factors in children from this region.…”