WHO Validates Timor-Leste’s Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem.
Dili:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated Timor-Leste as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a major milestone in the global fight against the infectious disease and preventable blindness.
Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. Timor-Leste was the last country in the WHO South-East Asia Region with suspected endemic trachoma. With the latest validation, the disease has now been eliminated as a public health problem across the entire WHO South-East Asia Region.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated Timor-Leste on the achievement, noting that the country’s combination of sound planning, detailed field investigations and modern surveillance demonstrated how science and strong health systems can help prevent avoidable blindness.
He said the elimination of trachoma from the South-East Asia Region represents an important step towards the global goal of eliminating trachoma worldwide by 2030.
Rigorous Evidence and Multi-Year Investigations
WHO’s validation followed a rigorous, multi-year process designed to determine whether trachoma continued to constitute a public health problem in Timor-Leste and whether the country had the capacity to identify, investigate and manage potential cases in the future.
A series of investigations conducted between 2015 and 2017 examined children on Atauro Island, screened patients attending eye clinics across the country and carried out targeted house-to-house searches. No cases of trachoma were detected during these investigations.
Timor-Leste subsequently generated additional evidence through further studies and surveillance activities. In a 2025 survey, researchers analyzed 4,949 samples from children aged 1–5 years across all 13 municipalities of the country. The testing found no evidence of trachoma transmission at a level that would require a trachoma-specific public health intervention.
Integrated Surveillance to Sustain Progress
WHO South-East Asia Regional Office Officer-in-Charge Dr Nilesh Buddha said Timor-Leste’s achievement demonstrated the importance of strong national leadership, high-quality evidence and integrated health services in delivering lasting public health gains.
He also highlighted the value of integrating disease surveillance systems, allowing countries to use limited resources more efficiently while protecting communities from multiple health threats.
Following the validation, Timor-Leste will continue maintaining the capacity to identify and manage individual cases of trichiasis, an advanced complication of trachoma, along with other eye diseases through its national eye-care system.
Specialized services, including trichiasis surgery, are available through the National Eye Centre at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares in Dili, as well as through outreach services to municipalities.
The country is also continuing broader programmes aimed at improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, which are important components of efforts to prevent the spread of trachoma.
Trachoma surveillance will now be integrated into existing national disease and neglected tropical disease surveillance platforms to ensure that any future cases can be detected and managed promptly.
National Commitment Behind the Achievement
Timor-Leste’s Minister of Health, Dr Élia A. dos Reis Amaral, described the WHO validation as a source of immense national pride and credited the achievement to sustained national commitment and the collective efforts of health workers, communities and partners.
The Health Minister said the milestone would further strengthen the country’s determination to advance universal health coverage and build an equitable and resilient health system capable of reaching and protecting people across the country.
The Minister also called for continued international cooperation and solidarity to help countries and communities overcome preventable diseases and secure healthier futures for coming generations.
WHO Praises Timor-Leste’s Health System
WHO Representative to Timor-Leste Dr Arvind Mathur described the validation as a major achievement and a testament to the country’s commitment to ending preventable diseases.
He highlighted the contribution of national leadership, health workers, community engagement, integrated surveillance and sustained public health action.
WHO said it would continue supporting Timor-Leste in maintaining the gains achieved against trachoma and advancing its broader multi-disease elimination efforts.
Support from International Partners
The evidence supporting WHO’s validation was generated under the leadership of Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health, with technical and research support from WHO and several eye-health and research organizations.
Partners involved in the effort included the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Menzies School of Health Research, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, Lions Clubs International Foundation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
The validation places Timor-Leste among the countries that have successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem and strengthens the wider regional momentum towards the WHO’s goal of eliminating the disease globally by 2030.
