Prevalence of trachoma among children in East Jerusalem in 1980.

Abstract

In a ophthalmic survey conducted in East Jerusalem during 1980 comprising 8896 nursery and primary school children aged 3 to 12 years not a single case of active trachoma could be detected. A similar study carried out in 1968, encompassing the same geographical area, revealed a prevalence of 6.4% among the school children and of 12.5% among the nursery school infants, while a subsequent survey performed in 1971, including the same population age group, showed a sharp decrease in the incidence of trachoma to a level as low as l%. This gradual and continuous decline in the prevalence of the disease towards its end point of apparent eradication was preceded by a marked improvement in the socioeconomic status and personal and public hygiene of the general population.