Fifty years ago, these men set out to defeat an insidious disease. A fortnight ago, they did
Fifty years after launching efforts to combat trachoma, Australia has eliminated the disease as a public health problem, becoming the 30th country to do so. The World Health Organization confirmed the milestone on April 29, 2026, marking the end of endemic trachoma that primarily affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This achievement stems from decades of work initiated by ophthalmologists Fred Hollows and Hugh Taylor through the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program.
- ▪Australia eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, confirmed by the World Health Organization on April 29, 2026.
- ▪Trachoma was the world's leading infectious cause of preventable blindness and previously endemic among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
- ▪The National Trachoma and Eye Health Program began in the 1970s through the efforts of ophthalmologists Fred Hollows and Hugh Taylor.
- ▪Until its elimination, Australia was the only developed country with endemic trachoma.
- ▪Improved sanitation and decades of targeted health interventions contributed to the disease's eradication in Australia.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Sydney Morning Herald.