Nearly two decades after Burundi began large-scale efforts to fight trachoma, a bacterial eye disease that can lead to irreversible blindness, the World Health Organization has confirmed the country has eliminated the disease as a public health problem.
The announcement places Burundi among a group of countries recognized by WHO over the past year for eliminating or controlling major infectious diseases.
Speaking during a WHO recognition event, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “In the past 12 months, WHO has confirmed the elimination of seven different diseases in 17 countries.”
Tedros added that “Algeria, Australia, Burundi, Egypt, Fiji, Libya, Senegal and Tunisia have all eliminated trachoma.”
Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through contact with infected eye and nose discharge, contaminated surfaces and flies. Repeated infections can cause the eyelids to turn inward, scraping the surface of the eye and eventually leading to blindness if untreated.
“This international recognition, achieved on May 19, 2026, in Geneva during the 79th World Health Organisation Assembly, is the result of a remarkable collective commitment,” Burundi Ministry of Health posted on its X account formerly known as Twitter.
The disease has historically affected poor and rural communities with limited access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare services.
WHO said Burundi’s elimination status follows years of interventions under the SAFE strategy — Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement. Those efforts included mass drug administration campaigns, eye surgeries, hygiene awareness programs and expanded water and sanitation initiatives.
According to WHO, surveys conducted between 2009 and 2010 found trachoma was endemic in several parts of Burundi, leading authorities to target approximately 2.5 million people across 12 health districts for intervention.
Burundi’s Minister of Public Health and the Fight Against AIDS, Lydwine Baradahana, said the WHO validation reflected “nearly 20 years of national commitment.”
“This success belongs to the Burundian people, the community health workers, the local leaders, and all our partners who stood with us throughout this journey,” Baradahana said in a WHO statement.
Health workers were central to the campaign, particularly in rural areas where access to healthcare remains limited. Community outreach teams conducted screenings, distributed antibiotics and promoted hygiene practices aimed at reducing transmission among children, who are most vulnerable to infection.
WHO said Burundi is now the eighth country in the African region to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem and the 24th globally.
Globally, trachoma remains a public health challenge in several countries. WHO estimates that 103 million people were still living in areas requiring interventions against trachoma in 2024, with most cases concentrated in Africa.
WHO data also shows the number of people requiring antibiotic treatment for trachoma in Africa declined from 189 million in 2014 to 93 million by April 2024.
The WHO announcement highlighted other disease elimination milestones worldwide. Kenya was recognized for eliminating sleeping sickness, while Chile eliminated leprosy. WHO also certified Suriname and Timor-Leste as malaria-free.
Tedros additionally recognized Yohei Sasakawa, who marked 25 years as WHO’s Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination.
“I would also like to recognize the leadership of Mr Yohei Sasakawa,” Tedros said, describing him as WHO’s “longest-serving Goodwill Ambassador.”
