Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, the World Health Organisation says, in a landmark achievement.
The world's leading infectious cause of preventable blindness, trachoma is a contagious eye infection. In Australia, it has primarily affected regional and remote First Nations communities, most commonly in children.
This week, the WHO said Australia became the 30th country to eliminate trachoma — which can lead to trichiasis and eventual loss of sight — calling it a "significant milestone in the health of Indigenous peoples and in global efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)".
"WHO congratulates Australia on this important achievement," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
"This success reflects sustained commitment, strong partnerships, and a focus on reaching populations most affected by health inequities. It brings us closer to a world free from the suffering caused by trachoma."
The WHO said the achievement came about due to "decades of targeted public health action, particularly in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where trachoma persisted despite its earlier disappearance from the rest of the country".
These include sustained screening, treatment and prevention activities, as well as improvements in housing, water, sanitation and hygiene.
"Regular screening of all communities classified as at-risk of trachoma by teams of qualified health workers formed an important part of the Programme," the WHO said.
"Interventions were delivered through coordinated partnerships between federal and state governments, Aboriginal community-controlled health services, and local communities."
As a result, trachoma prevalence in Indigenous children aged 5-9 years fell from 14.9 per cent in 2009 to 1.5 per cent in 2024.
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation CEO Dawn Casey congratulated the work of ACCHOs for the significant role they played in eliminating the infection.
"They, together with the assistance from the Australian Government and Professor Hugh Taylor, have worked together over decades to achieve this," she said.
"Our ACCHOs will remain vigilant and continue their work to monitor for any potential outbreaks across our communities."
In a statement, the government said the elimination of trachoma marks a "major milestone for the eye health of our communities". Health Minister Mark Butler said that on the ground, it is "helping to protect sight, wellbeing and quality of life from this preventable disease".
"I particularly thank the community members, community leaders and ACCHOs for their commitment and leadership to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem," he said.
"Elimination was achieved through partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and it will only be sustained the same way."
He said the lessons from the elimination process would inform how the government approaches other preventable health conditions in remote and regional areas of the country.
"Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and local health workers have been central to this success, delivering culturally safe care and community-led solutions," he added.
Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said the milestone was a reflection of years of community-led work helping to keep communities healthy.
"Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and local health workers have driven the progress that has made elimination of trachoma possible," she said.
"This is an important step in Closing the Gap in health outcomes. It shows that long-term, community-led solutions can and do deliver lasting change."
