Algeria Eliminates Trachoma, the World’s Leading Infectious Cause of Blindness

The World Health Organization announced that Algeria has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem — a milestone in the long fight against the world's leading infectious cause of blindness. Algeria becomes the 10th country in WHO's African Region and the 29th globally to reach this goal, capping an effort the country's health minister described as "the fruit of nearly fifty years of national mobilization."

Trachoma is caused by repeated infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Left untreated, it scars the inner eyelid, turning the lashes inward so they scrape the cornea with every blink, leading to irreversible blindness. The disease still affects communities in 30 countries and is responsible for blindness or visual impairment in about 1.9 million people, with an estimated 97 million living in trachoma-endemic areas at risk.

Algeria's success rests on WHO's SAFE strategy — Surgery to treat advanced disease, Antibiotics to clear infection, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement such as better access to water and sanitation. The country's engagement with eye health stretches back more than a century, beginning with the establishment of the Pasteur Institute of Algeria in 1909. "This milestone proves that with sustained political will and on-the-ground leadership from committed health professionals, we can eliminate neglected tropical diseases," said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

A note of perspective matters: elimination as a public health problem does not mean the bacterium has vanished, and Algeria must keep surveillance strong to catch any resurgence. Globally, trachoma still blinds and impoverishes people in some of the poorest places on Earth. But each country that crosses the finish line shrinks the map of the disease and shows that an ancient cause of blindness — one tied closely to poverty and lack of clean water — can be defeated with patient, sustained public-health work.