Surveys to substantiate elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

Abstract

Background: To determine whether trachoma elimination thresholds have been met in Myanmar, surveys were undertaken in 2019 to estimate the prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) in children ages 1-9 y and the prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) unknown to the health system in adults ≥15 y of age.

Methods: Surveys were conducted in 14 townships (evaluation units [EUs]) that were considered formerly endemic for trachoma. A two-stage cluster survey design was applied, whereby 30 villages and 30 households per village were sampled. Consenting eligible participants ≥1 y of age were examined for trachoma using the World Health Organization (WHO) simplified trachoma grading system.

Results: A total of 12 594 households were surveyed, with a total of 5901 children ages 1-9 y and 31 097 people ≥15 y of age examined. In all 14 EUs, the prevalences of TF and TT unknown to the health system were below the elimination thresholds of <5% and <0.2%, respectively.

Conclusions: Surveys showed that trachoma was no longer a public health problem in Myanmar and trachoma elimination thresholds had been attained. Partly on the basis of these data, in September 2020, Myanmar was validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.

Keywords: Myanmar; public health problem; trachoma survey; tropical data; validation of elimination.