A Surveillance and Azithromycin Treatment for Newcomers and Travelers Evaluation: The ASANTE Trial (ASANTE)
Trachoma
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Trachoma focused on measuring Trachoma, Azithromycin, Mass treatment
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Census and Mass Drug Administration (MDA): All persons residing in the 52 study communities will be eligible for both the census and the annual mass azithromycin administrations.
Intervention: In the 26 intervention communities, active surveillance for new families and returning travelers will be undertaken, and those meeting the criteria below will be eligible for family treatment with azithromycin if:
Families are "newcomers" and
- They have children under 10 years of age
- They have moved into a new house in the community or into an existing household
- They plan to reside for at least 1 month in the study community and
- They have moved from a community that has not had an MDA in the last year
Families are classified as having traveled and
- They have children under 10 years of age
- They participated in a previous census in the same community
- They left the community for at least 8 weeks (2 months) for an area that has not received MDA in the past year and at least one child has returned and
- They have returned to reside in the community for at least 2 months
Sentinel Children: In all 52 communities, samples of 135 children will be selected from the community census lists every six months for survey and examination.
These children:
- must be between 1 year and 9.9 years of age,
- must be a resident in the community and not a short-term (less than 2 months) visitor,
- must not have an ocular condition that would preclude grading trachoma or taking an ocular specimen,
- must be willing to have a swab taken as part of being a sentinel child (this is critical, as each swab result counts towards the criteria for stopping MDA), and
- must have an identifiable guardian capable of providing consent to participate.
Adult Women: In all 52 communities, samples of 100 women will be selected from the baseline community census list.
These women:
- must be aged 15 years and over
- must be a resident in the community and not a short term (less than 2 months) visitor
- must not have an ocular condition that precludes grading of scarring on upper conjunctiva
- must be able to provide informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- none
Sites / Locations
- Johns Hopkins University
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Intervention
Usual Care
Communities will receive usual care, including annual mass drug administration with azithromycin if trachoma infection level is greater than 1% or TF is 5% or more. Communities will have MDA stopped if infection is 1% or less, or TF is less than 5%. MDA will be reinstated if infection re-emerges to 6% or more. In addition, surveillance and treatment with azithromycin of newcomer and traveler families within 2 weeks of arrival to or return to the community.
Communities will receive usual care, including annual mass drug administration with azithromycin if trachoma infection level is greater than 1% or TF is 5% or more. Communities will have MDA stopped if infection is 1% or less, or TF is less than 5%. MDA will be reinstated if infection re-emerges to 6% or more.