By Bunmi Yekini
Fiji has eliminated trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, becoming the first Pacific Island nation to achieve the milestone, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
The WHO said the country has been validated for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, marking a major public health achievement and the first neglected tropical disease (NTD) to be eliminated in Fiji.
“WHO congratulates Fiji and its network of global and local partners on reaching this milestone,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “Future generations of Fijians have been given a precious gift in being set free from the suffering that trachoma has inflicted on their ancestors.”
Trachoma is caused by the bacterium *Chlamydia trachomatis* and spreads through contact with infected eye or nose discharge, contaminated surfaces, and flies. Repeated infections can lead to scarring of the eyelids and blindness.
Long battle against trachoma
Fiji’s efforts to tackle trachoma date back decades. Medical records from the 1930s and surveys in the 1950s documented widespread infection and risk of blindness. The disease declined sharply in the 1980s but resurfaced in the early 2000s, prompting a renewed public health response.
Since 2012, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has conducted nationwide surveys and implemented community awareness campaigns, school health programmes, and water and sanitation initiatives to reduce transmission.
“Fiji’s success in eliminating trachoma is a beacon of what’s possible when communities, governments, and partners unite behind a shared goal,” said Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “This is a celebration of the power of Pacific leadership and sustained investment in health.”
Regional progress
Health Minister Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu said the validation represented a “defining moment for health equity in the Pacific” and credited healthcare workers and communities for their role in the elimination campaign.
“This achievement reflects years of coordinated action, across villages, health facilities and regional platforms,” Lalabalavu said. “We call on our partners to continue supporting efforts to tackle other neglected tropical diseases across the Pacific.”
Fiji is the 26th country to eliminate trachoma and the 58th globally to eliminate at least one neglected tropical disease, according to the WHO.
Thirteen countries in the Western Pacific Region have now eliminated at least one NTD, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Vietnam, which have also eliminated trachoma.
The WHO estimates that more than one billion people worldwide are affected by neglected tropical diseases, most of them living in impoverished communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation.
“Trachoma elimination in Fiji shows what can be achieved through national commitment and global solidarity,” Piukala said. “It brings us one step closer to ensuring no one is left behind in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.”