The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced it has certified Timor-Leste as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem.
The leading infectious cause of blindness, the achievement on the island nation now means that the entire Southeast Asian region, as defined by the WHO, is trachoma-free.
It means over 2 billion people now live with minimal risk of contracting trachoma bacteria, and with access to medical services capable of detecting and quickly treating it should it occur.
“The elimination of trachoma from the South-East Asia Region is a significant step towards our global target of eliminating trachoma worldwide by 2030,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “I congratulate Timor-Leste on this important achievement.”
Caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, repeated infections can lead to scarring of the inner eyelid, causing the eyelashes to turn inward (trichiasis), which can ultimately result in blindness.
The disease is strongly associated with poverty and inequities in access to basic resources, including water, sanitation, hygiene products, and medical services.
WHO’s validation follows a rigorous, multi-year process to determine whether trachoma poses a public health problem in the country and to document the medical system’s capacity to detect, investigate, and manage cases that occur in the future.
A series of investigations between 2015 and 2017 saw the examination of children on the country’s Atauro Island, the screening of patients attending eye clinics across the country, and a series of specific house-to-house searches. No trace of trachoma was found.
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Timor-Leste subsequently generated further evidence through various studies. In a 2025 survey, 4,949 samples from children aged 1–5 years were analyzed covering all 13 municipalities. 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 Dr. Nilesh Buddha, Officer-in-Charge at WHO Southeast Asia Regional Office.
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“The country’s approach also shows the value of integrating surveillance across diseases so that limited resources produce the greatest possible benefit for communities.”
Laos DPR achieved elimination in 2017, followed by Nepal a year later, Myanmar in 2020, and India in 2024. Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, and Thailand had all eliminated it as well.
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