Prevalence of Trachoma in Pre-validation Surveillance Surveys in 11 Evaluation Units (Covering 12 Districts) in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia: Results from 2018−2020

Abstract

Purpose Interventions to reduce the prevalence of trachoma and transmission of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis have been implemented in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. Following an impact survey in which the trachomatous inflammation—follicular (TF) prevalence in 1–9-year-olds is <5%, a surveillance survey is recommended 2 years later, without additional antibiotic treatment. We report results of surveillance surveys in 11 evaluation units (EUs) covering 12 districts in Oromia Region, to plan whether future interventions are needed. Method We use a two-stage cluster-sampling cross-sectional survey design. In each EU, 26 clusters (villages) were systematically selected with probability proportional to size; from each cluster, 30 households were selected using compact segment sampling. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) access was assessed in all selected households. All residents of selected households aged ≥1 year were examined for TF and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) by certified graders. Result Of 31,991 individuals enumerated, 29,230 (91% of) individuals were examined. Eight EUs had an age-adjusted TF prevalence in 1−9-year-olds of ≥5% and seven had a TT prevalence unknown to the health system among adults aged ≥15 years of ≥0.2%. About one-third of visited households had access to an improved water source for drinking, and 5% had access to an improved latrine. Conclusion Despite TF reductions to <5% at impact survey, prevalence recrudesced to ≥5% in all but three of the 11 EUs. Operational research is needed to understand transmission dynamics and epidemiology, in order to optimise elimination strategies in high-transmission settings like these.

Retracted: Prevalence of active trachoma infection and associated factors post‐war resettled population in raya kobo districts, North East Ethiopia: A community‐based cross‐sectional study in 2022

“…7,8 Around 50 million individuals worldwide have trachoma, and 3-10 million of them go blind as a result of the infection 9 with annual economic lost $2.9 and $5.3 billion. 9,10 According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020, more than 88% of the 157.7 million people living in the area with active trachoma sites were from African countries with more than 44.2%. 11,12 The WHO promotes a multifaceted "SAFE" method for trachoma prevention, which includes multiple components for reducing the burden through antibiotic distribution and environmental sanitation, and in 2021 achieved antibiotic coverage of 44%.…”

“…Globally, active trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness and is considered the cause of visual impairment in 1.9 million people 7,8 . Around 50 million individuals worldwide have trachoma, and 3–10 million of them go blind as a result of the infection 9 with annual economic lost $2.9 and $5.3 billion 9,10 . According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2020, more than 88% of the 157.7 million people living in the area with active trachoma sites were from African countries with more than 44.2% 11,12 …”

Active trachoma among children aged 1-9 years in Ethiopia: A meta-analysis from 2019 to 2024

“…Africa bears the largest burden of trachoma globally with prevalence of TF ≥30% at most recent surveys [6]. Trachoma is the second most common cause of blindness in Ethiopia and still constitutes a disease of public health concern [7].…”

Exploring multi-level risk factors and post-war burdens of trachomatous trichiasis among displaced population in Raya Kobo districts, implication for urgent action

“…The WHO promotes a multifaceted surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement (SAFE) method for trachoma prevention, which includes multiple components [4] for reducing the TT burden through antibiotic distribution, TT surgery, and environmental sanitation [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] . Despite this technique and achievement were recorded 80% of antibiotics on trachoma-mapped regions and 47.6% TT surgery for confirmed cases; however, ≥10% of patients who underwent TT surgery relapsed to follicular trachoma [16][17] . In a previous Meta-analysis reported in Ethiopia, the pooled prevalence of active trachoma was 26.9% for children [18] and 3.9% for adults [19] .…”