EPIDEMIC OPTIC NEUROPATHY IN PRIMARY-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN DAR-ES-SALAAM, TANZANIA

Background-An epidemic of bilateral optic neuropathy is affecting larg e numbers of people aged between 10 and 40 in Dar es Salaam, the capit al city of Tanzania. The disease is characterised by acute onset of bi lateral visual impairment, bilateral impairment of colour vision, and a characteristic temporal pallor of the optic discs. The disease often occurs in association with peripheral neuropathy and sensorineural he aring loss. This report presents the first data on disease prevalence in adolescents, based on a rapid assessment of schoolchildren. Methods -Three schools in Dar es Salaam were visited and all children aged bet ween 10 and 16 were screened for the disease. Results-The prevalence o f bilateral optic neuropathy among the schoolchildren is estimated to be 1.0% (95% CI 0.5-1.4%). This suggests that 5000 children (95% CI 26 00-7300) aged 10-16 in Dar es Salaam may have the disease. Conclusion- The results of this rapid assessment indicate this epidemic is a major public health problem. The prevalence of the disease in the community is likely to be far higher than found in this survey because children with the disease may have withdrawn from school. As the disease predo minantly affects young adults, resulting in impaired vision and hearin g, the economic and social consequences are enormous.