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Review
. 2019 Mar;17(3):189-200.
doi: 10.1080/14787210.2019.1577136. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection: elimination with mass drug administration

Meraf A Wolle  1 , Sheila K West  1
Affiliations
Review

Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection: elimination with mass drug administration

Meraf A Wolle et al. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2019 Mar.

Abstract

Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the causative agent for trachoma, is responsible for 1.9 million cases of visual loss worldwide. Mass Drug Administration (MDA) with azithromycin to entire trachoma-endemic districts is part of the World Health Organization's public health strategy for trachoma elimination. Areas covered: Background on C. trachomatis and the epidemiology of trachoma are presented, followed by a review of the antibiotics for treatment and the need for a public health approach to trachoma elimination. The effectiveness of mass drug administration is presented, concluding with challenges to trachoma elimination in the future. Expert opinion: MDA using azithromycin is a key component of the public health strategy for trachoma elimination. With high coverage in children, there is good evidence that MDA drops the community pool of infection. There are challenges to trachoma elimination by the year 2020, and the drug donation program for country MDAs will be integral to ongoing efforts.

Keywords: azithromycin; mass drug administration; review; trachoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Images of A) Trachoma-Follicular (TF), B) Trachoma –Intense (TI), C) Trachomatous scarring (TS) and D) Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) (images collected by SW and MW during field work).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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