Ocular chlamydial infection in communities can be controlled with biannual mass treatment

Ocular chlamydial infection can be controlled and eliminated with twice-annual mass antibiotic administration in affected communities, according to a study in Ethiopia.

Muluken Melese, MD, MPH, and colleagues studied 1,332 children from 24 randomly selected villages in Ethiopia. The children were monitored for the prevalence of ocular chlamydial infection before treatment and at 2 and 6 months after treatment. All eligible villagers more than 1 year of age were treated with one dose of oral azithromycin. Pregnant women were offered tetracycline eye ointment.

The prevalence of chlamydial infection was 56.3% before treatment, falling drastically to 6.7% at 2 months post-treatment, the study authors said. The infection prevalence rose back to 11% at 6 months. After treatment, the infection returned at an exponential rate of 12.3% per month. The minimum treatment frequency needed to eliminate the infection was calculated to be 11.6 months, presuming a coverage level of 80%.

The study was published in the August 11, 2004, online edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.