Rapid Assessment of Trachoma in Underserved Population of Car-Nicobar Island, India

Abstract

PurposeTo determine the burden of trachoma and its related risk factors amongst the native population of Car-Nicobar Island in India.MethodsRapid assessment for trachoma was conducted in ten villages of Car- Nicobar Island according to standard WHO guidelines. An average of 50 children aged 1–9 years were assessed clinically for signs of active trachoma and facial cleanliness in each village. Additionally, all adults above 15 years of age in these households were examined for evidence of trachomatous trichiasis and corneal opacity. Environmental risk factors contributing to trachoma like limited access to potable water & functional latrine, presence of animal pen and garbage within the Nicobari hut were also noted in all villages.ResultsOut of a total of fifteen villages in Car-Nicobar Island, ten villages were selected for trachoma survey depending on evidence of socio-developmental indicators like poverty and decreased access to water, sanitation and healthcare facilities. The total population of the selected clusters was 7277 in the ten villages. Overall, 251 of 516 children (48.6%;CI: 46.5–55.1) had evidence of follicular stage of trachoma and 11 children (2.1%;CI:1.0–3.4) had evidence of inflammatory stage of trachoma. Nearly 15%(CI:12.1–18.3) children were noted to have unclean faces in the ten villages. Trachomatous trichiasis was noted in 73 adults (1.0%;CI:0.8–1.2). The environmental sanitation was not found to be satisfactory in the surveyed villages mainly due to the co-habitance of Nicobari people with domestic animals like pigs, hens, goats, dogs, cats etc in most (96.4%) of the households.ConclusionActive trachoma and trachomatous trichiasis was observed in all the ten villages surveyed, wherein trachoma control measures are needed.

Prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma among childeren aged 1–9 years in rural communities of Gonji Kolella district, West Gojjam zone, North West Ethiopia

“…The case of active trachoma was mainly high in families who have had the habit of co-habitance of people with domestic animals (AOR = 4.75, CI = 1.815–12.431). This finding agrees with the research done in India [ 26 ].…”

Prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma among children in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…From a total of 55 full text articles accessed, we rejected twenty of them because they were review studies, and /or conducted in other countries like: USA [22], China [23], India [24, 25], Nepal [26], Nigeria [27–29], Kenya [6, 30–32], South Sudan [33, 34], Tanzania [35, 36], Senegal [37], Malawi [38–40], Mali [41], and Gambia [42]. Moreover, five full text articles [43–47] that have been conducted from various regions across Ethiopia were not included since their outcome estimates were different from prevalence of active trachoma in children which is the outcome of interest of this study, and they have been done in the adult population that is not the population of interest of the current study.…”

Prevalence of trachoma in school children in the Marajó Archipelago, Brazilian Amazon, and the impact of the introduction of educational and preventive measures on the disease over eight years

“…The transmission of trachoma may be maintained via the sharing of domestic and peridomestic environment among infected individuals and of these with animals such as buffaloes, horses, dogs and birds, among other animals [ 2 , 32 ] such as those of the Marajó fauna, which can lead to an unhealthy environment, attracting winged insects often implicated as vectors of bacterial conjunctivitis, including eye gnats and flies ( Liohippelates and Hippelates ) [ 33 ]. The mechanical transmission of C .…”