East Timor eliminates trachoma as a public health problem

“Congratulate East Timor for this important achievement. By combining solid planning, careful field research and modern surveillance, the country has demonstrated how robust science and health systems can protect people from preventable blindness,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

With the elimination of the disease in East Timor, trachoma is no longer a public health problem in the Southeast Asian region, which is “a significant step” to achieve the goal of the organization of “eliminating trachoma worldwide by 2030”.

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, according to the United Nations health organization.

WHO validation follows a long and rigorous process in the country, says the institution, referring to an investigation conducted between 2015 and 2017, which examined children on Atauro Island, to track “patients who attended ophthalmological clinics throughout the country”, and no case of the disease was detected.

In addition to this investigation, surveys were conducted in 2025 and samples of 4,949 children were analyzed.

The head of the WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia, Nilesh Buddha, said that the Portuguese-speaking country “showed once again that strong national leadership, high-quality evidence and integrated health services can provide lasting gains in public health.”.

In turn, the Timorese Health Minister, Élia Amaral, said that “the elimination of trachoma in Timor-Leste as a public health problem, officially validated by the WHO, is a cause of immense national pride”, stressing that this validation shows “the determination [of the country] to promote universal health coverage and build a equitable and resilient health system that reaches all people and protects them, regardless of where they live”.

The ruler also called on the international health community to “deepen cooperation and solidarity so that all countries and all communities can overcome preventable diseases and ensure a healthier future for future generations.”.

Timor-Leste is now able to manage and combat trachoma disease through its ophthalmological care system, and specialized services are available at the National Centre for Ophthalmology at Guido Valadares National Hospital in Dili, as well as disease sensitivity programs in the different regions of the country.

Trachoma is the main infectious cause of blindness in the world, being caused by a bacterium called ‘Chlamydia trachomatis’. Chronic infection is transmitted by the direct or indirect transfer of ocular and nasal secretions from infected people, especially young children, who are the main reservoir of infection.