Australia Becomes the 30th Country to Eliminate Trachoma

On 29 April 2026, the World Health Organization confirmed that Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, becoming the 30th country worldwide to defeat the leading infectious cause of blindness. It was also the 63rd country globally, and the 16th in WHO’s Western Pacific Region, to eliminate a neglected tropical disease — one of a group of conditions that still affect more than a billion people around the world.

Trachoma is caused by repeated infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Untreated, it scars the inner eyelid and turns the lashes inward, scraping the cornea with every blink until sight is lost. In Australia, the disease persisted longest in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and the milestone reflects decades of targeted work in exactly those places.

“It was also the 63rd country globally, and the 16th in WHO’s Western Pacific Region, to eliminate a neglected tropical disease — one of a group of conditions that still affect more than a billion people around the world.”

The turnaround was built on the National Trachoma Management Programme, established in 2006, which applied WHO’s SAFE strategy — Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement — through partnerships with Aboriginal community-controlled health services and local health workers. Officials repeatedly credited First Nations leadership as the decisive factor rather than a top-down campaign.

“This success reflects sustained commitment, strong partnerships, and a focus on reaching populations most affected by health inequities,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Australian Health Minister Mark Butler pointed to “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, community commitment and sustained investment over many decades,” while officials highlighted the role of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and local health workers in remote First Nations communities. As a high-income country closing a gap that had long tracked with inequity, Australia’s result is a reminder that eliminating an ancient blinding disease is as much about trust and community ownership as it is about medicine.