Southeast Asia declared free of trachoma as a public health threat
The World Health Organization confirmed that trachoma has been eliminated as a public health problem across Southeast Asia.
WHO validated the regional achievement on Thursday, citing improved sanitation, faster diagnosis and antibiotic programs as key factors. The milestone marks the removal of trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness, from the public health agenda in Southeast Asia. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the success as a step toward global elimination by 2030 and praised Timor-Leste as a model of effective health systems.
Why it matters
Eliminating trachoma reduces preventable blindness and showcases effective public-health strategies in low-resource settings.
In this story
trachomainfectious blindnesspublic healthWHOSoutheast Asiasanitationantibiotic programmes2030 elimination goal
