Mass treatment of trachoma with azithromycin 1.5% eye drops in the Republic of Cameroon: feasibility, tolerance and effectiveness
| Autor: | Pierre Huguet, Pablo Goldschmidt, Ellen Einterz, Philippe Bensaid, Lucienne Bella |
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| Rok vydání: | 2009 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Pediatrics medicine.medical_specialty National Health Programs Eye disease medicine.medical_treatment 030231 tropical medicine Population Prevalence Azithromycin Blindness 03 medical and health sciences Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience 0302 clinical medicine Age Distribution Epidemiology medicine Humans Cameroon Sex Distribution education Child Antibacterial agent Trachoma education.field_of_study business.industry Infant Eye drop medicine.disease Sensory Systems 3. Good health Surgery Anti-Bacterial Agents Global Issues Ophthalmology Treatment Outcome Child Preschool 030221 ophthalmology & optometry Female Ophthalmic Solutions business Epidemiologic Methods medicine.drug Program Evaluation |
| Zdroj: | The British Journal of Ophthalmology |
| ISSN: | 1468-2079 |
| Popis: | Aims An epidemiological study carried out in 2006 indicated a high prevalence of blinding trachoma in the Kolofata Health District, Far North Region, Republic of Cameroon. As a result, the national blindness control programme of Cameroon instituted a trachoma elimination programme using the SAFE strategy. Methods A campaign to treat the entire district population with azithromycin 1.5% eye drops was undertaken in February 2008. To measure the effectiveness of treatment on the prevalence of active trachoma, two epidemiological studies were conducted on a representative sample of children aged between 1 and 10 years. The first study was performed just prior to the treatment campaign and the second study was performed 1 year later. Results The prevalence of active forms of trachoma (trachomatous inflammation—follicular (TF) + TF/trachomatous inflammation—intense (TI)) dropped from 31.5 (95% CI 26.4 to 37.5)% before treatment to 6.3 (95% CI 4.1 to 9.6)% 1 year after treatment—a reduction of nearly 80%. There were no reports of serious or systemic side effects. Tolerance was excellent and no treatment was interrupted. Conclusion Mass treatment with azithromycin 1.5% eye drops is feasible, well tolerated and effective. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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