Journal
TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
Volume 99, Issue 1, Pages 6-12Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2004.01.014
Keywords
trachoma; azithromcyin; community-based programme; height schedule; children
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Recent data showing that azithromycin is safe at higher dosages than previously documented provide an opportunity to explore several important improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of height-based treatment of paediatric trachoma. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of a single standardised schedule for application in any trachoma-endemic region. Data for 60813 children from Asia, North and sub-Saharan Africa were analysed. A height schedule maximizing the number of children receiving treatment of 20-40 mg/kg, a conservative estimate of the safe and effective treatment range for paediatric trachoma, was developed. Using the standardised schedule, 97.7% of children aged 6 to 59 months receiving oral suspension and 96.7% of children aged 60 months to 15 years receiving tablets would have received treatment within a dosage range of 20-40 mg/kg. Less than 1% of all children would have received treatment less than 20 mg/kg. These findings suggest that the schedule presented in this paper is likely to yield safe and effective treatment for a broad range of populations vulnerable to trachoma white substantially improving the efficiency of height-based treatment. (C) 2004 Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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