Azithromycin treatment coverage in Tanzanian children using community volunteers.

PURPOSE: To determine which of two village-based strategies was more effective at recruiting residents for a trachoma mass treatment campaign.

METHODS

The two strategies were to use either village government personnel to recruit residents for treatment, or to solicit interested community volunteers to recruit residents. Three were villages assigned to each strategy, and the outcome measured was treatment coverage of individuals, group and the villages.

RESULTS

Self-selected community volunteers were significantly more effective than village government personnel in recruiting villagers for antibiotic treatment (p <.0001). The differences were strongest for the group at highest risk for active trachoma, pre-school children; 73% of children in community volunteer villages were treated, compared to 63% in village government villages (p <.05). Children in villages using community volunteers and from larger families were more likely to be treated.

CONCLUSION

These findings support using motivated community volunteers, rather than traditional government workers, for mass treatment campaigns where high coverage is necessary.