RESEARCH ARTICLE Impact of Community Mass Treatment with Azithromycin for Trachoma Elimination on the Prevalence of Yaws

Background Community mass treatment with 30mg/kg azithromycin is central to the newWHO strategy for eradicating yaws. Both yaws and trachoma — which is earmarked for elimination by 2020 using a strategy that includes mass treatment with 20mg/kg azithromycin—are endemic in the Pacific, raising the possibility of an integrated approach to disease control. Community mass treatment with azithromycin for trachoma elimination was conducted in the Solomon Islands in 2014. Methods We conducted a study to assess the impact of mass treatment with 20mg/kg azithromycin on yaws. We examined children aged 5-14 years and took blood and lesion samples for yaws diagnosis. Results We recruited 897 children, 6 months after mass treatment. There were no cases of active yaws. Serological evidence of current infection was found in 3.6 % (95 % CI = 2.5-5.0%). Thi