In a landmark public-health milestone, the World Health Organization (WHO) has officially validated Fiji’s elimination of Trachoma as a public-health problem — making Fiji the 26th country globally to achieve this validation and the first in the Pacific to do so. In Fiji, historical data show widespread infection from the 1930s onwards, with resurgence risk lingering into the 2000s due to remaining cases among children and communities.
What Is Trachoma?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), trachoma is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects the eyes. It is caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis.
The disease spreads through eye and nose discharges from infected individuals especially young children, who are the main source of infection. These discharges can also be carried by certain species of flies.
If left untreated, trachoma can cause the eyelids to turn inward, leading to painful scratching of the cornea and eventually irreversible blindness. It is responsible for about 1.9 million cases of blindness or visual impairment, accounting for 1.4% of all blindness worldwide.
As of April 2025, an estimated 103 million people still live in trachoma-endemic areas and are at risk of blindness. Africa remains the most affected continent, though it has also seen the strongest control and elimination efforts. By July 2025, 25 countries had been officially validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. These include nations such as India, China, Nepal, Ghana, Iran, and Morocco.
Fiji’s Success Story
The validation follows decades of sustained efforts by Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services, in close partnership with local communities and global agencies. Key components includes – prevalence surveys, laboratory testing, water and sanitation improvements, school health initiatives, and community awareness campaigns. Fiji’s achievement contributes to the wider Western-Pacific Region goal of eliminating NTDs. It joins other countries in showing that even geographically dispersed island nations can reach disease-elimination targets with the right combination of data, policy, community engagement, and investment.
‘Elimination’ here means trachoma is no longer a public-health problem in Fiji — systems are in place for continued surveillance and management to prevent resurgence.
Elimination of trachoma as a public health problem is defined by WHO using three criteria:
Low disease levels:
Less than 0.2% prevalence of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in adults aged 15 years or older (around 1 case per 1000 population).
Less than 5% prevalence of active infection (trachomatous inflammation—follicular) in children aged 1-9 years, sustained for at least two years without mass antibiotic campaigns.
Surveillance and treatment system:
A functioning system that can identify and manage new TT cases with sustainable funding and resources.
Long-term commitment:
Continued monitoring and support to prevent re-emergence.
The World Health Assembly (WHA) first targeted global elimination by 2020 through Resolution WHA51.11 (1998). This goal has now been extended in the NTD Road Map 2021–2030, setting 2030 as the new global target for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem.
Fiji’s success is more than a certificate – it’s proof that diseases once thought entrenched can be controlled with sustained effort, science and community action. For other countries still fighting trachoma and other NTDs, this milestone offers hope and a blueprint: strengthen data, embed hygiene and sanitation, empower communities and ensure no one is left behind.
