Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016;23(sup1):8-14.
doi: 10.1080/09286586.2016.1236973. Epub 2016 Nov 15.

National Trachoma Assessment in the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 2013-2014

Khamphoua Southisombath  1 , Siphet Sisalermsak  1 , Phonesavanh Chansan  1 , Khongsap Akkhavong  2 , Soulasay Phommala  2 , Susan Lewallen  3 , Paul Courtright  3 , Anthony W Solomon  4
Affiliations

National Trachoma Assessment in the Lao People's Democratic Republic in 2013-2014

Khamphoua Southisombath et al. Ophthalmic Epidemiol. 2016.

Abstract

Purpose: Population-based prevalence surveys were undertaken to determine whether trachoma is a public health problem in Laos requiring implementation of the SAFE strategy (surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, environmental improvement).

Methods: The country was divided into 19 evaluation units (EUs), each containing a population of roughly 100,000-350,000 people. Of these, 16 were believed most likely to harbor trachoma (based on historical evidence), and were mapped using the Global Trachoma Mapping Project methods. A 2-stage cluster sampling was used to sample approximately 1222 children aged 1-9 years in each EU, as well as all adults aged 15 years and older resident in households with children. The presence or absence of trachomatous inflammation - follicular (TF) and of trichiasis was documented in each subject, and prevalences (adjusted for age and sex) estimated.

Results: The adjusted prevalence of TF in 1-9-year-olds ranged from 0.2% to 2.2% across the 16 EUs. Adjusted all-ages prevalence of trichiasis was 0.00% in 13 EUs, 0.06% in two EUs, and 0.12% in one EU. The trichiasis prevalence in adults in the last EU was 0.19%.

Conclusions: The assessment included all areas of Laos suspected of ever harboring trachoma and most of the rural population of the country. The low prevalence of TF and trichiasis do not warrant any special programs against trachoma at this time.

Keywords: Laos; trachoma; trichiasis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Prevalence of trachomatous inflammation – follicular (TF), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 2013–2014.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 2013–2014.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Solomon AW, Zondervan M, Kuper H, et al. Trachoma control: a guide for programme managers. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2006.
    1. Solomon AW, The Global Kurlyo E.. Trachoma Mapping Project. Comm Eye Health 2014;27(85):18. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Solomon AW, Pavluck AL, Courtright P, et al. The Global Trachoma Mapping Project: methodology of a 34-country population-based study. Ophthalmic Epidemiol 2015;22:214–225. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Steering Committee for Census of Population and Housing. Results from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Population and Housing Census 2005 Vientiane: Department of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and Investment, 2006.
    1. Beauchamp FJ, Epardeau B, Siramongkhon P, et al. Le trachome: son endemicite au Laos. Medecine Tropicale 1972;32:437–445. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources