Active trachoma among children aged 1–9 years in Ethiopia: A meta-analysis from 2019 to 2024

Background Trachoma is a leading infectious cause of blindness and of significant public health concern targeted for elimination. This study aimed to systematically summarize the magnitude of active trachoma among children aged 1–9 in Ethiopia from 2019–2024.

Methods The review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (Registration number: CRD42024514026). Database searches were conducted on Google Scholar, SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, and Africans Journals Online (AJOL) for studies published between January 2019–31-March-2024 and with restriction to articles published only in English. Data extraction was done using a pre-prepared Excel sheet. STATA version 17 was used to perform the analysis. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using I2 statistics and Cochrane Q. Qualitative synthesis was done to summarize the studies and random effect model was used to estimate the Pooled magnitude of active trachoma with a corresponding 95% confidence interval.

Results A total of 17 studies with 19793 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled magnitude of active trachoma among children aged 1–9 years was found to be 18.4% (95% CI: 13.88, 22.91). We found a statistically significant heterogeneity between studies. Among the regions, Southwest region was found to have the highest magnitude (44.1%) (95%CI: 41.8%, 46.4%) and Dire Dawa was found to have the lowest (4.3%) (95%CI: 2.9%, 5.7%).

Conclusion The magnitude of active trachoma is still higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) target for elimination. There was significant interregional difference in magnitude of active trachoma. Strengthening surgical treatment for trichiasis, antibiotic therapy, facial hygiene, and environmental improvement (SAFE) strategy and health education and promotion is recommended.