Abstract

Introduction: Trachoma is chronic infectious eye disease for which Chlamydia trachomitis has been the cause. It was estimated that trachoma is responsible for 3% of all blindness globally. If left untreated it leads to vision loss. Trachoma is the second leading cause of blindness in Ethiopia. But, the magnitude of active trachoma was not well determined in the current study area. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence of active trachoma among primary school children in Yirgalem town, Ethiopia.

Materials and Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 primary school children using a multistage systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire followed by ocular examination using binocular 2.5x magnifying loupe to differentiate active trachoma based on World Health Organization’s simplified classification scheme. Ethical clearance was obtained from the ethical review committee of College of Medicine and Health Science, Hawassa University. All statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS software version 20.

Results: A total of 600 primary school children were included in this study with 100% response-rate. The mean age of the participants was 11.5 (± 1.267) years. Of them, 325 (54.2%) were females. The majority of participants were protestant Christians 264 (44%) followed by Orthodox Christians 210 (35%). In this study, the overall prevalence of active trachoma among primary school children was 12% (95% CI: 10.7%, 14.2%).

Conclusion: In this study, the prevalence of active trachoma among primary school children in Yirgalem town was higher than the World Health Organization criteria for elimination of trachoma and it is still a public health problem among primary school children. So, an appropriate intervention plans for regular screening of active trachoma among primary school children for early detection and treatment is recommended.

Keywords: School Children; Active Trachoma; Prevalence; Ethiopia

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