WHO has validated that Benin and Mali have eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making them the fifth and sixth countries in the WHO African Region to achieve this important milestone. Countries that previously received WHO validation for trachoma elimination are Ghana (June 2018), The Gambia (April 2021), Togo (May 2022) and Malawi (September 2022).
“WHO congratulates the health authorities of Benin and Mali and their network of global and local partners on these milestones,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Following the success of Benin and Mali, trachoma remains endemic in 23 countries in the WHO African Region, bringing us one step closer to the trachoma elimination target set out in the roadmap for tropical diseases. neglected 2021-2030”.
Globally, Benin and Mali join 15 other countries that have been validated by the WHO for having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. These are Cambodia, China, Gambia, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malawi, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Togo, and Vanuatu.
Elimination of trachoma using the WHO SAFE strategy
Both Benin and Mali implemented the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy to eliminate trachoma with the support of WHO and partners. The SAFE strategy consists of surgery to treat late complications of trachoma; antibiotics to clear the infection; Facial Cleansing; and environmental improvement, particularly improving access to water and sanitation, to reduce transmission. Through the International Trachoma Initiative, Pfizer donates the antibiotic azithromycin to elimination programs that implement the SAFE strategy.
Benin has integrated trachoma elimination interventions with those implemented against other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), under the umbrella of the National Communicable Diseases Program. Trachoma is the third NTD to be eliminated in Benin, after dracunculiasis (in 2009) and gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (in 2021).
Mali has conducted trachoma surveillance and impact surveys and implemented interventions to achieve elimination targets, despite security challenges in the northern regions of the country and sociopolitical upheavals in recent years. Trachoma is the first NTD to be eliminated in Mali, which now joins a global group of 47 countries that have eliminated at least one NTD.
“These are impressive public health achievements,” said Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, director of the WHO Global NTD Program. “Benin and Mali demonstrate how strong political will, intersectoral integration, vigilance and community engagement can work together to achieve elimination of the disease.”
Significant progress has been made in the fight against trachoma in recent years. The number of people requiring antibiotic treatment for trachoma in the WHO African Region decreased by 84 million, from 189 million in 2014 to 105 million in June 2022.
Note to the editor
Trachoma remains a public health problem in 41 countries (as of June 2022) with an estimated 125 million people living in areas that require interventions against the disease. Trachoma is found mainly in the poorest and most rural areas of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, the Western Pacific, and the Middle East. The WHO African Region is disproportionately affected by trachoma with 105 million people living in risk areas, representing 84% of the global trachoma burden.
Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. The disease is caused by infection with the bacteria. Chlamydia trachomatis. The infection is transmitted from person to person through contaminated fingers, fomites, and flies that have come into contact with secretions from the eyes or nose of an infected person. Environmental risk factors for trachoma transmission include poor hygiene, overcrowded homes, inadequate access to water, or use of adequate sanitary facilities.
In 1996, WHO launched the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by the Year 2020 (GET2020). With other partners of the Alliance, WHO supports the implementation of the SAFE strategy in the countries and the strengthening of national capacities through epidemiological evaluation, monitoring, surveillance, project evaluation and the mobilization of resources that contribute to the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. The roadmap, approved by the World Health Assembly in 2020 through its decision 73(33), sets 2030 as the new target date for global elimination.
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