Piloting a trachomatous trichiasis patient case-searching approach in two localities of Sudan.
Sudan
case search
surgery
trachoma
trachomatous trichiasis
Journal
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
ISSN: 1878-3503
Titre abrégé: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg
Pays: England
ID NLM: 7506129
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 08 2020
01 08 2020
Historique:
received:
17
10
2019
revised:
10
02
2020
accepted:
13
03
2020
pubmed:
21
4
2020
medline:
25
6
2021
entrez:
21
4
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Approximately 1.9 million people have become blind or visually impaired from trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness. Trachoma prevalence surveys conducted in Sudan have shown that thousands of Sudanese suffer from the advanced stages of the disease, trachomatous trichiasis (TT), and warrant sight-saving surgery. Sudan's National Trachoma Control Program (NTCP) provides free TT surgery; however, given that many TT patients live in remote areas with limited access to health services, identifying patients and providing eye care services has proved challenging. For this reason, the Sudan NTCP piloted a systematic TT case-finding approach to identify patients. In Gedarif state, 11 villages in Baladyat el Gedarif locality and 21 villages in West Galabat locality were included in a TT case-searching activity from September to November 2018. TT case finders were selected from the villages where the activity took place and were trained by ophthalmic medical assistants to identify possible patients. Of 66 626 villagers examined, 491 were identified as having TT by TT case finders. Of those, 369 were confirmed as true cases by the TT surgeons, a 75.2% (369/491) success rate. The TT case-finding approach provides an example of an effective method for identifying TT patients and should be expanded to other parts of the country known to be endemic for trachoma.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Approximately 1.9 million people have become blind or visually impaired from trachoma, the leading cause of infectious blindness. Trachoma prevalence surveys conducted in Sudan have shown that thousands of Sudanese suffer from the advanced stages of the disease, trachomatous trichiasis (TT), and warrant sight-saving surgery. Sudan's National Trachoma Control Program (NTCP) provides free TT surgery; however, given that many TT patients live in remote areas with limited access to health services, identifying patients and providing eye care services has proved challenging. For this reason, the Sudan NTCP piloted a systematic TT case-finding approach to identify patients.
METHODS
In Gedarif state, 11 villages in Baladyat el Gedarif locality and 21 villages in West Galabat locality were included in a TT case-searching activity from September to November 2018. TT case finders were selected from the villages where the activity took place and were trained by ophthalmic medical assistants to identify possible patients.
RESULTS
Of 66 626 villagers examined, 491 were identified as having TT by TT case finders. Of those, 369 were confirmed as true cases by the TT surgeons, a 75.2% (369/491) success rate.
CONCLUSIONS
The TT case-finding approach provides an example of an effective method for identifying TT patients and should be expanded to other parts of the country known to be endemic for trachoma.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32307543
pii: 5822554
doi: 10.1093/trstmh/traa022
pmc: PMC7405172
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
561-565Informations de copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
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