Australia eliminates trachoma

Australia Achieves Historic Milestone: Trachoma Eliminated as Public Health Problem

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated Australia for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, marking a landmark achievement in Indigenous health and global efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases.

Trachoma — the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness — was once prevalent in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities despite having disappeared from the rest of the country decades earlier. Australia’s success follows sustained, decades-long efforts centred on the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy: surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement.

The National Trachoma Management Programme, established in 2006, coordinated efforts between federal and state governments, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, and local communities. Improvements in housing, water, and sanitation played a critical role alongside targeted screening and treatment programs.

Australia becomes the 63rd country globally — and 16th in the Western Pacific Region — to eliminate at least one neglected tropical disease.

Health Minister Mark Butler credited Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership as central to the outcome, calling it “a win for the eye health of communities across Australia.”

The WHO emphasised that ongoing surveillance will be essential to maintaining this hard-won status.

Read more here: https://www.who.int/news/item/29-04-2026-australia-becomes-the-30th-country-to-eliminate-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem