03188nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001000042653002900052653002900081653001300110653002500123100001300148700001500161700001100176700001200187700001300199700001100212700001200223700001400235700001600249700001700265700001500282700001200297700001400309700001600323700001400339245013700353856006300490300001200553490000700565520222900572022002502801       2024                            d  bWiley10aMass drug administration10aetracycline eye ointment10aTrachoma10aTreatment compliance1 aAragie S1 aShiferaw A1 aSata E1 aHailu D1 aDagnew A1 aZeru T1 aAbebe A1 aTadesse Z1 aWittberg DM1 aThompson IJB1 aLietman TM1 aNash SD1 aJensen KA1 aCallahan EK1 aKeenan JD00aCompliance with tetracycline eye ointment during annual mass drug administration for trachoma control in the Amhara region, Ethiopia  uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/tmi.14042  a869-8740 v293 a<p><strong>Objectives:&nbsp;</strong>A 6‐week course of tetracycline eye ointment is an alternative to single ‐dose oral azithromycin in annual mass drug administration for trachoma control. Compliance with the recommended tetracycline eye ointment regimen has not been well characterised when administered as part of a trachoma control program.</p>

<p><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong>A routine mass drug administration for trachoma was carried out in 40 communities in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Two tubes of tetracycline eye ointment, to be administered twice daily for 6 weeks, was offered to all children under 6 months of age, to pregnant women who declined to take azithromycin, and to all individuals with a macrolide allergy. Seven weeks following the mass drug administration, a treatment compliance survey was performed for all community members documented to have received tetracycline eye ointment during the mass drug administration.</p>

<p><strong>Results:&nbsp;</strong>Of the 491 individuals documented as having received tetracycline eye ointment from the treatment records, 367 completed the survey, of which 214 recalled being offered tetracycline eye ointment. A total of 105 (49%) respondents reported taking ≥1 daily dose of tetracycline eye ointment on most days of the week for at least the first week. Only 20 (9%) respondents reported taking at least 1 tetracycline eye ointment dose per week for 6 weeks. The most common reasons for low compliance included ‘saving it for a future infection’ and ‘stopped because I (or my child) seemed healthy’. The odds of low compliance were greater for those who reported not having adequate counselling (e.g., odds ratio [OR] 5.3, 95% CI 2.5–28.9 when low compliance was defined as not taking a tetracycline eye ointment dose for most days of at least the first week).</p>

<p><strong>Conclusions:&nbsp;</strong>Compliance with tetracycline eye ointment was low when administered by a trachoma program during a routine mass drug administration, especially for those reporting inadequate counselling. Further research with a larger sample size and varied settings is warranted to better understand and improve compliance.</p>
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