Prevalence of Trachoma in School Children and Ophthalmological Outpatients in Rural Egypt

The prevalence of trachoma in school children and ophthalmological patients in rural villages of the Qalyub Governorate of Egypt was determined by clinical and laboratory diagnostic procedures and reported as mild, moderate, or severe according to the WHO classification scheme. Of 777 primary school students examined in 3 villages, 204 (26%) had clinically active trachoma. The overall prevalence of the disease in this population ranged from 16% to 35%. The prevalence of infection was higher in younger groups and decreased throughout primary school. Of 312 patients with ocular complaints examined at the village outpatient clinics, 100 (32%) had trachoma infections. Monoclonal FA staining showed higher sensitivity in detecting positive cases of trachoma than did Giemsa staining. This study has shown that trachoma is still prevalent in rural Egypt and that the monoclonal FA staining is a relatively sensitive and practical test for the laboratory diagnosis of trachoma in a field study, where reasonable facilities for culture diagnosis are not available.