Mass Distribution of Azithromycin for Trachoma Control Is Associated With Short-term Reduction in Risk of Acute Lower Respiratory Infection in Young Children

Coles CL et al. – Mass distribution of a single dose of oral azithromycin for trachoma is associated with a significant short–term reduction in acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) morbidity among young children.

Methods

• In 8 communities, a cohort of randomly selected children (n=1036) was followed for incidence of ALRI episodes.
• Mass treatment for trachoma using a single dose of oral azithromycin was provided in 4 of the 8 communities where trachoma prevalence was 10%.
• All children were followed with biweekly surveillance at home for 6months.
• Incidence of ALRI episodes was calculated for 0 to 1 month, 1 to 3months, and 3 to 6months posttreatment and in comparable time points in the nontreated villages.

Results

• In the multivariate analysis, living in a MDA village was associated with a 38% (rate ratio 5 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.43–0.91) decreased risk of ALRI in the 0– to 1–month follow–up period as compared with those in the untreated communities after adjusting for covariates and clustering.
• There were no significant differences in ALRI incidence by exposure status in the 1– to 3–month (rate ratio=0.91, 95% CI=0.69–1.20) and in the 3– to 6–month (rate ratio=1.00, 95% CI=0.76–1.30) follow–up periods.

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