The impact of water supply on trachoma prevalence

Abstract

In 1998, a baseline study of the prevalence of trachoma was conducted in Dalocha District before pipe water supply was made in 1999. This cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of active trachoma in children aged 1-10 years old was conducted in the same area in March-May, 2002 to assess the impact of water supply on trachoma prevalence. Cluster sampling method was used to identify the villages and households in the previously studied five peasant associations. All children 1-10 years of age from the selected households were examined for the presence of active trachoma (trachomatous follicles, TF, and trachomatous intense inflammation, TI). A total of 644 children, 328 (50.9%) males and 316 (49.1) females, from 329 households were examined. Of these, 358 (55.6%) had active trachoma with 235 (36.5%) having TF and 123 (19.1%) TI. This figure was comparable with the previous report from the same age group and area which was 51.1%. In conclusion, despite improvement in water supply, the difference in the overall prevalence of active trachoma was statistically not significant (p-value = 0.074) from the result of the previous study. Thus, unless it is accompanied by health education to bring about community's behavioral change regarding the importance of personal and environmental hygiene, improvement in water supply seems to have no effect on the prevalence of active trachoma.