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ABSTRACT
Purpose: Trachoma was suspected to be endemic in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We aimed to estimate prevalences of trachomatous inflammation–follicular (TF), trichiasis, and water and sanitation (WASH) indicators in suspected-endemic Health Zones.
Methods: A population-based prevalence survey was undertaken in each of 46 Health Zones across nine provinces of DRC, using Global Trachoma Mapping Project methods. A two-stage cluster random sampling design was used in each Health Zone, whereby 25 villages (clusters) and 30 households per cluster were sampled. Consenting eligible participants (children aged 1–9 years and adults aged ≥15 years) were examined for trachoma by GTMP-certified graders; households were assessed for access to WASH.
Results: A total of 32,758 households were surveyed, and 141,853 participants (98.2% of those enumerated) were examined for trachoma. Health Zone-level TF prevalence in 1–9-year-olds ranged from 1.9–41.6%. Among people aged ≥15 years, trichiasis prevalences ranged from 0.02–5.1% (95% CI 3.3–6.8). TF prevalence in 1–9-year-olds was ≥5% in 30 Health Zones, while trichiasis prevalence was ≥0.2% in 37 Health Zones.
Conclusion: Trachoma is a public health problem in 39 of 46 Health Zones surveyed. To meet elimination targets, 37 Health Zones require expanded trichiasis surgery services while 30 health zones require antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement interventions. Survey data suggest that trachoma is widespread: further surveys are warranted.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of this article.
Funding
The survey field work was made possible through support provided to RTI International via the ENVISION Project (Cooperative Agreement no. AID-OAA-A-11-00048) by the United States Agency for International Development. Core support to the Global Trachoma Mapping Project was provided by a grant from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (ARIES: 203145) to Sightsavers, which led a consortium of non-governmental organizations and academic institutions to complete baseline trachoma mapping worldwide. A committee established in March 2012 to examine issues surrounding completion of global trachoma mapping was initially supported by a grant from Pfizer to the International Trachoma Initiative. AWS was a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow (098521) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and is now an employee of WHO; the views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the decisions or the stated policy of WHO. The funders of this study had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or the writing of the report.