The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Australia for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.
Trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, no longer represents a public health problem in the country Australia marks a significant milestone in the health of Indigenous peoples and in global efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Australia, which becomes the 63rd country globally and 16th in the Western Pacific Region to have eliminated at least one NTD.
Australia is among a growing number of countries that have successfully eliminated trachoma, contributing to global progress towards the targets set out in the WHO road map for NTDs 2021–2030, said the press release.
Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through close contact with infected individuals, contaminated surfaces, and flies that carry eye and nose discharge. Repeated infections can lead to scarring of the eyelids, turning eyelashes inward, and ultimately causing blindness if untreated.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulates “Australia on this important achievement.”
Trachoma is one of 21 diseases and disease groups that are regarded by WHO as NTDs. Together, NTDs affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, primarily in underserved populations with limited access to essential services such as clean water, sanitation, and health care.
In 1996, WHO launched the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020 (GET2020), creating a network of governments, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions dedicated to the fight against trachoma. WHO continues to support endemic countries to accelerate progress towards the global target of eliminating trachoma as a public health problem worldwide; 2030 is the new target date.
Other countries validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem are: Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Togo, Vanuatu and Viet Nam.
Meanwhile, global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths.
But the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released at the World Hepatitis Summit.
Viral hepatitis B and C – the two infections responsible for 95% of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide – claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024, the latest data show. At the same time, transmission continues, with more than 4900 new infections every day, or 1.8 million each year.
The 2026 Global hepatitis report documents significant gains made since 2015. The annual number of new hepatitis B infections has dropped by 32% and hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12% globally. Hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has also decreased to 0.6%, with 85 countries achieving or surpassing the 2030 target of 0.1%.
WHO estimates 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infection in 2024. That year, 0.9 million people were newly infected with hepatitis B. The WHO African Region accounted for 68% of new hepatitis B infections, yet only 17% of newborns in the region received the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination.
Of the 240 million people with chronic hepatitis B in 2024, fewer than 5% were receiving treatment. Only 20% of people with hepatitis C have been treated since 2015, when a new 12-week treatment with a cure rate of about 95% became available.
As a result of limited access to prevention and care, in 2024 an estimated 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240 000 from hepatitis C. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma were the main causes of hepatitis related deaths. A large share of hepatitis B-related deaths occurred in the African and Western Pacific Regions.
Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Viet Nam – accounted for 69% of hepatitis B related deaths worldwide in 2024. Hepatitis C-related deaths are more geographically dispersed.
In 2024, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States of America and Viet Nam accounted for 58% of the global total.
Despite these challenges, progress in countries such as Egypt, Georgia, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom demonstrates that eliminating hepatitis as a public health problem is achievable with sustained commitment and investment.
