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. 2019 Dec;101(6):1296-1302.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0530.

Progress toward Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem in Seven Localities in the Republic of Sudan: Results from Population-Based Surveys

Angelia M Sanders  1 , Zeinab Abdalla  2 , Belgesa E Elshafie  3 , Mazin Elsanosi  2 , Andrew W Nute  1 , Nabil Aziz  2 , E Kelly Callahan  1 , Scott D Nash  1
Affiliations

Progress toward Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem in Seven Localities in the Republic of Sudan: Results from Population-Based Surveys

Angelia M Sanders et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Trachoma is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. After baseline surveys demonstrated that Sudan was endemic for trachoma, the Sudan Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) Trachoma Control Program conducted trachoma prevention and treatment interventions in endemic localities. The Sudan FMOH conducted population-based trachoma prevalence surveys between September 2016 and April 2017 in seven localities across five states of Sudan to document current trachoma prevalence estimates and measure water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) indicators. Children aged 1-9 years were examined for five clinical signs of trachoma, and participants of all ages were examined for trachomatous trichiasis (TT). A household questionnaire was administered to gather demographic and WASH-related information. The prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) in children aged 1-9 years ranged from 0.4% (95% CI: 0.1-1.1%) to 6.4% (95% CI: 3.3-11.9%). Trachomatous trichiasis in those aged 15 years and older ranged from 0.1% (95% CI: 0.0-0.6%) to a high of 4.4% (95% CI: 2.1-9.1%). Of seven localities surveyed, four localities had achieved the elimination threshold of less than 5% TF in children aged 1-9 years. Six localities still required interventions to achieve less than 0.2% TT in those aged 15 years and older. The presence of latrine ranged from a low of 10.8% (95% CI: 5.2-21.1%) to 88.4% (CI: 81.5-93.0%) and clean face among children ranged between 69.5% (95% CI: 63.5-75.0%) and 87.5% (95% CI: 81.2-91.9%). These results demonstrate that Sudan is within reach of eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Survey population by locality, Sudan, 2016–2017.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular in children aged 1–9 years in seven localities in Sudan, 2016–2017. This figure appears in color at www.ajtmh.org.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Age-specific prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular and trachomatous inflammation-intense among children aged 1–9 years in seven localities in Sudan, 2016–2017. This figure appears in color at www.ajtmh.org.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis in adults aged 15 years and older in seven localities in Sudan, 2016–2017. This figure appears in color at www.ajtmh.org.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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