Australia eliminates trachoma after decades of community-led work in First Nations communities

The World Health Organisation has confirmed Australia has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, ending the country’s status as the only high-income nation where the blinding eye disease remained endemic.

The validation, announced by the WHO on 29 April 2026, makes Australia the 30th country to be validated by the WHO for eliminating trachoma. Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of preventable blindness and in Australia has been found primarily in regional and remote First Nations communities, most commonly in children.

According to the joint Australian Government media release, trachoma prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5–9 years in at-risk communities has fallen from 14.9 per cent in 2009 to 1.5 per cent in 2024 — a result health leaders have framed as a rare bright spot in Closing the Gap health outcomes.

Repeated infections with trachoma, especially during childhood, may lead to trichiasis, where scarring causes the eyelashes to turn inwards and damage the surface of the eye, and can ultimately cause vision loss and blindness. Until now, the disease persisted primarily in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

Federal Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler said the milestone reflected decades of community leadership.

“The elimination of trachoma in Australia marks a major milestone for the eye health of our communities” Mr Butler said.

“I particularly thank the community members, community leaders and ACCHOs for their commitment and leadership to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem.

“Elimination was achieved through partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and it will only be sustained the same way.”

Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said the achievement reflected long-term, community-led work.

“This milestone reflects years of community-led work to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children healthy” Senator McCarthy said.

“Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and local health workers have driven the progress that has made elimination of trachoma possible.

“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.”

Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health Rebecca White said reaching elimination was “a significant moment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities” but warned the work was not over.

“Reaching elimination is a significant step, but it’s just as important that we protect what has been achieved and continue to support community-led health outcomes” Ms White said.

How elimination was achieved

The National Trachoma Surveillance and Reporting Unit, based at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, has tracked progress against WHO benchmarks, including a prevalence of trachomatous inflammation–follicular below 5 per cent in children aged 1–9 years in each formerly endemic district.

The trachoma response has used the WHO “SAFE” strategy — surgery for trichiasis, antibiotics, facial cleanliness and environmental improvement — delivered through the National Trachoma Management Programme established in 2006, alongside long-running work by Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, the Indigenous Eye Health Unit at the University of Melbourne and Professor Hugh Taylor AC.

Community-led health promotion, including the long-running Milpa the Goanna “Clean Faces, Strong Eyes” campaign, has been credited with shifting hygiene practices among children in remote communities.

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation chief executive Dawn Casey congratulated ACCHOs and said monitoring would continue.

“I would like to congratulate the ACCHOs for their significant contribution to eliminating trachoma,” Dr Casey said.

“They, together with the assistance from the Australian Government and Professor Hugh Taylor, have worked together over decades to achieve this.

“Our ACCHOs will remain vigilant and continue their work to monitor for any potential outbreaks across our communities.”

Trachoma is one of 21 diseases and disease groups the WHO classifies as neglected tropical diseases, which together affect more than one billion people worldwide. Validation marks the first time the WHO has confirmed the elimination of a neglected tropical disease in Australia, making the country the 63rd globally and 16th in the Western Pacific Region to eliminate at least one NTD.

Sustaining the result

The Albanese Government has signalled that ongoing surveillance through the Kirby Institute and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations will continue to monitor at-risk regions, with continued investment in housing, water, sanitation and primary health care identified as critical to preventing re-emergence of the disease.