Aim: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of trachoma in Dalocha District, Central Ethiopia.
Methods: A multistage sampling method was used to identify the peasant associations and households included in the study. The WHO clinical grading method for trachoma was used.
Results: Of the 619 sampled persons, 302 (48.8%) males and 317 (51.2%) females, 564 people were available for examination, yielding a response rate of 91.1%. More than half (51.1%) of the children aged 10 years or less had active trachoma (trachomatous inflammation, TI, in 16.5% and trachomatous follicles, TF, in 34.6%). On the other hand, active trachoma and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) were each found in 5.5% of individuals older than 10 years of age.
Conclusions: According to the WHO, the findings of TI and TF in more than 5% and 20%, respectively, of children aged 10 years or less and TT in more than 1% of older individuals indicate that trachoma is a major public health problem in Dalocha community.