Country’s milestone means trachoma is no longer a public health problem anywhere in WHO’s South-East Asia Region
By Bunmi Yekini
The World Health Organization has validated Timor-Leste as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making the Southeast Asian nation the 33rd country worldwide to achieve the milestone.
The validation also marks the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem across WHO’s entire South-East Asia Region, as Timor-Leste was the last country in the region where the disease was suspected to be endemic.
Trachoma, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. Repeated infections can cause scarring inside the eyelid, forcing the eyelashes to turn inward and potentially leading to irreversible blindness.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the achievement demonstrated the importance of science and strong health systems in preventing avoidable blindness.
“I congratulate Timor-Leste on this important achievement,” Tedros said. “By combining sound planning, careful field investigation and modern surveillance, the country has shown how science and strong health systems can protect people from preventable blindness.”
He said the regional milestone represented significant progress towards the global target of eliminating trachoma worldwide by 2030.
WHO’s decision followed years of investigations to determine whether trachoma continued to pose a public health threat in Timor-Leste and whether the country’s health system could detect and manage future cases.
Investigations conducted between 2015 and 2017 included examinations of children on Atauro Island, screenings of patients attending eye clinics across the country and targeted house-to-house searches. No cases of trachoma were detected.
The country later strengthened the evidence through additional studies, including a nationwide survey in 2025 that analysed 4,949 samples from children aged between one and five across all 13 municipalities. The testing found no evidence of transmission at a level requiring trachoma-specific public health intervention.
“Timor-Leste has once again demonstrated that strong national leadership, high-quality evidence and integrated health services can deliver lasting public health gains,” said Nilesh Buddha, Officer-in-Charge of WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Office.
The country will continue to maintain its capacity to identify and treat individual cases of trichiasis, a painful condition associated with advanced trachoma, through its national eye-care system.
Specialised services, including surgery for trichiasis, are available at the National Eye Centre at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares in the capital, Dili, as well as through outreach services to municipalities.
Timor-Leste also plans to integrate trachoma monitoring into its existing national disease and neglected tropical disease surveillance systems while continuing efforts to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
Health Minister Élia A. dos Reis Amaral described the WHO validation as a source of national pride and credited health workers, communities and development partners for the achievement.
“This achievement was made possible by sustained national commitment and the collective efforts of our health workers, communities and partners,” Amaral said.
Trachoma is closely associated with poverty and inadequate access to water, sanitation, hygiene and healthcare and continues to affect some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Timor-Leste is the fourth country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to be formally validated for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem. Its achievement means the disease is now no longer considered a public health problem anywhere in the region.
The evidence supporting the validation was generated by Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health with support from WHO and international eye-health and research organisations.
WHO said 64 countries had eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease globally as of September 2026, including eight countries in the South-East Asia Region.