부산대학교 도서관

Background: Trachoma is the chief cause of preventable blindness worldwide and has been earmarked for elimination as a public health problem by 2030. Despite the five-year Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement (SAFE)-based interventions in the Andabet district, the prevalence of trachomatous follicular (TF) was 37%. With such a high prevalence of TF, the determinant factors were not revealed. Besides, there were no reports on the overall prevalence of active trachoma (i.e.TF and or trachomatous intense (TI)). Objective: To determine the prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma among 1–9 years of age children in the Andabet district. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged under nine years from March 1–30, 2023 in Andabet district, Northwest Ethiopia. Multi-stage systematic random sampling was employed to reach 540 children. A multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was employed to assess factors associated with active trachoma. We fitted both random effect and fixed effect analysis. Finally, variables with p<0.05 in the multivariable multilevel analysis were claimed to be significantly associated with active trachoma. Result: In this study, the overall prevalence of active trachoma was 35.37% (95% CI: 31.32%, 39.41%). The prevalence of TF and TI was 31.3% and 4.07% respectively. In the multilevel logistic regression analysis ocular discharge, fly-eye contact, latrine utilization, and source of water were significantly associated with the prevalence of active trachoma. Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of active trachoma was much higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold prevalence. Ocular discharge, fly-eye contact, latrine utilization, and source of water were independent determinants of active trachoma among children (1–9 years). Therefore, paying special attention to these high-risk groups could decrease the prevalence of a neglected hyperendemic disease, active trachoma. Author summary: Trachoma, caused by ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, is the chief cause of preventable blindness worldwide. A key component of the WHO's elimination strategy is mass treatment with oral antibiotics, education relating to facial cleanliness, environmental improvement, and hygienic conditions. It is crucial to conduct community-based prevalence of trachoma by incorporating community-level factors to determine whether community-level interventions are necessary. A thorough understanding of the risk factors of trachoma may foster trachoma elimination efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of active trachoma in andabet district by using a multi-level mixed-effect analysis. This study found that 35.37% of children (1–9 years) in the Andabet district have active trachoma in 2023, which is a public health concern. In addition, Individual and community-level factors associated with the diseases were identified. This study demonstrates the need to consider support for the introduction of those interventions for trachoma elimination in Ethiopia. This will eliminate an estimated half of the global burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]