Ideally we would be able to provide estimates of active trachoma and trichiasis at the district level in each endemic country. These data are important for programmatic decision-making and in framing operational research questions to inform best practice.
District level prevalence data collected using PBPS provide a reliable estimate of prevalence to inform control decisions for each district. These data are directly relevant to programmatic decisions and are the primary type of data used to generate the maps on the website. Where data from PBPS are not available, district-level classification has in some cases been undertaken using one of two other methods:
- Trachoma Rapid Assessment (TRA) is a low-cost, effective way to assess whether a community is trachoma-endemic. Health workers review existing records, interview key informants and make direct observations at the community level.
- MoH Classification includes information from national programmes identifying areas that are suspected of being endemic.