News & Publications

Trachoma Control Program - Articles By Carter Center Experts

1 September 2008
The Burden of Trachoma in Ayod County of Southern Sudan (PDF)
Published Sept. 2008 in the PLoS Journal of Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Jonathan D. King, Jeremiah Ngondi, Gideon Gatpan, Steve Becknell, Paul M. Emerson
Citation: King JD, Ngondi J, Gatpan G, Lopidia B, Becknell S, et al. (2008) The Burden of Trachoma in Ayod County of Southern Sudan. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2(9): e299. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000299.
Read the press release: Sept. 24, 2008 - A Clearer Picture of Trachoma in Southern Sudan: Bacterial Eye Disease Devastates Ayod County >>

1 June 2008
Dracunculiasis, Onchocerciasis, Schistosomiasis, and Trachoma (PDF)
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136: 45-52 (2008), Issue - Reducing the Impact of Poverty on Health and Human Development: Scientific Approaches,
Donald R. Hopkins, Frank O. Richards, Jr, Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben, Paul Emerson, P. Craig Withers, Jr. Published Online: 25 Jul 2008. The definitive version is available at www.wileyinterscience.com.

22 October 2007
The Cochrane Library and Trachoma: An Overview of Reviews (PDF)
Evidence-Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal; 2: 943–964, DOI: 10.1002/ebch.172. © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Elizabeth Sumamo, Paul Emerson, Krystal Harvey, and Matthew Burton. Objective: To summarize Cochrane reviews that assess the effect of SAFE strategy (surgery, antibiotics, face washing and environmental change) for trachoma in developing countries.

28 August 2007
BMC Ophthalmology (PDF)
BMC Ophthalmology; 7:12 doi:10.1186/1471-2415-7-12. © 2007 Ngondi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. We investigated vision status associated with trachomatous trichiasis (TT) and explored age-sex patterns of low vision and blindness associated with trichiasis in Mankien district of southern Sudan where trachoma prevention and trichiasis surgery were absent.

1 July 2007
Prevalence of Risk Factors and Severity of Active Trachoma in Southern Sudan: An Ordinal Analysis (PDF)
Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 77(1), 2007, pp. 126–132. Copyright © 2007 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Jeremiah Ngondi, Fiona Matthews, Mark Reacher, Alice Onsarigo, Ibrahim Matende, Samson Baba, Carol Brayne, James Zingeser, and Paul Emerson. We aimed to investigate prevalence of potential risk factors, and associations between risk factors and active trachoma in southern Sudan. Surveys were undertaken in ten sites and children aged 1–9 years examined for trachoma. Risk factors were assessed through interviews and observations. Using ordinal logistic regression, associations between severity of active trachoma and risk factors were explored.

1 June 2007
Characteristics of Latrine Promotion Participants and Non-participants; Inspection of Latrines; and Perceptions of Household Latrines in Northern Ghana (PDF)
Tropical Medicine and International Health; volume 12, no 6, pp 772–782, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2007.01848.x. © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Ann F. Rodgers, Lydia A. Ajono, John O. Gyapong, Maria Hagan, and Paul M. Emerson. objectives To examine characteristics of household heads in two districts of Northern Ghana who had or had not participated in latrine promotion programmes; to inspect latrines; and to explore perceptions of latrine ownership. 

1 December 2006
Blinding Trachoma in Postconflict Southern Sudan (PDF)
PLOS Medicine; Volume 3, Issue 12, e478.© 2006 Ngondi et al.  Trachoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness. Reports from eye surgery camps and anecdotal data indicated that blinding trachoma is a serious cause of visual impairment in Mankien payam (district) of southern Sudan. We conducted this study to estimate the prevalence of trachoma, estimate targets for interventions, and establish a baseline for monitoring and evaluation.

1 December 2006
Prevalence and Causes of Blindness and Low Vision in Southern Sudan (PDF)
PLOS Medicine; Volume 3, Issue 12, e477. Copyright: © 2006 Ngondi et al. Blindness and low vision are thought to be common in southern Sudan. However, the magnitude and geographical distribution are largely unknown. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of blindness and low vision, identify the main causes of blindness and low vision, and estimate targets for blindness prevention programs in Mankien payam (district), southern Sudan.

1 September 2006
Follow-up of a Low Cost Latrine Promotion Programme in One District of Amhara, Ethiopia: Characteristics of Early Adopters and Non-adopters (PDF)
Tropical Medicine and International Health; volume 11 no 9 pp 1406–1415, doi:10.1111/j.1365-3156.2006.01689.x. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Rosalynn O'Loughlin, Gashu Fentie, Brendan Flannery, and Paul M. Emerson. objectives: To verify reported construction of 22 385 household latrines in 2004, after community mobilization, as part of a trachoma control programme in one district of Amhara, Ethiopia, and to explore characteristics of early latrine adopters and non-adopters. 

11 Aug 2006
Trachoma Control: The Lancet Features Groundbreaking SAFE Strategy Study, Article
Effect of three years of SAFE (surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental change) strategy for trachoma control in southern Sudan: a cross-sectional study.

1 Aug 2006
The SAFE Strategy for Trachoma Control: Using Operational Research for Policy, Planning, and Implementation
The following was published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, August 2006, Volume 84, Issue 8. By Paul M. Emerson, Matthew Burton, Anthony W. Solomon, Robin Bailey, and David Mabey.

1 December 2005
The Epidemiology of Trachoma in Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile States, Southern Sudan (PDF)
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2005;83:904-912. Jeremiah Ngondi, Alice Onsarigo, Liknaw Adamu, Ibrahim Matende, Samson Baba, Mark Reacher, Paul Emerson, and James Zingeser. Objective: Limited surveys and anecdotal data indicate that trachoma is endemic in the states of Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile in southern Sudan. However, its magnitude and geographical distribution are largely unknown. We conducted surveys to ascertain the prevalence and geographical distribution of trachoma, and to identify targets for control interventions.

2 Feb 2005
Sight for Sore Eyes: Natural History Magazine Features Trachoma Essay (PDF)
Reprint (with permission) from Natural History magazine, 12/04-1/05. Written by Dr. James A. Zingeser, former technical director, Carter Center Trachoma Control Program.