El Salvador has become the first country in Central America to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, following formal validation by the World Health Organization. The achievement places El Salvador among 64 countries worldwide recognized by WHO for eliminating at least one neglected tropical disease — and marks a meaningful step toward the global goal of wiping out trachoma entirely by 2030 C.E.
At a glance
- Trachoma elimination: Between 2023 C.E. and 2026 C.E., El Salvador conducted targeted community assessments and found no evidence of active trachoma transmission — no signs in children and no advanced cases in adults capable of causing blindness.
- WHO validation: The certification follows a rigorous, multi-year process confirming that trachoma does not constitute a public health problem in the country, meeting WHO’s strict threshold criteria for elimination.
- Americas milestone: El Salvador is now the second country in the Americas — after Mexico — to receive this validation, and the first in the Central American subregion.
What trachoma does — and why eliminating it matters
Trachoma, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. The disease spreads through contact with eye and nasal discharge from infected individuals, and repeated infections scar the inner eyelid. Over time, that scarring turns the eyelashes inward — a painful condition called trichiasis — which slowly scratches the cornea until vision is lost entirely.
It is a disease bound tightly to poverty. Poor access to clean water, sanitation, and health care all drive transmission, and the burden falls hardest on the most vulnerable communities in tropical regions. In the Americas, trachoma remains a public health problem in rural and remote areas of Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru.
Eliminating it is not simply a clinical victory. It is a signal that basic services — clean water, functioning primary health care, community outreach — have reached people who were previously left out.
How El Salvador did it
El Salvador’s path to validation drew on what WHO calls a multisectoral approach. The government strengthened primary health care services, expanded water and sanitation access, and built eye health services including vision screening for adults. Health workers were trained in trichiasis case management, and integrated surveillance systems were put in place to catch any future cases early.
PAHO supported the effort through its Initiative for the Elimination of Trachoma in the Americas, with backing from the Government of Canada. The community assessments themselves created an added benefit: they became entry points for delivering a wider range of health services to people in underserved areas.
“El Salvador has reached a major health milestone by achieving certification as a country free of trachoma, the result of sustained national efforts,” said El Salvador’s Minister of Health, Francisco Alabi. “We are proud to have reached this achievement in just three years.”
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO, credited the sustained work of reaching communities directly: “It is the result of sustained efforts to reach communities, identify potential cases, and ensure no one was left behind.”
A window into the bigger picture
This validation is part of one of many public health disease wins accumulating globally as countries intensify their push against neglected tropical diseases. WHO’s 2021–2030 C.E. road map for neglected tropical diseases sets targets for the control, elimination, or eradication of more than 20 conditions. Trachoma is one of 30-plus communicable diseases targeted under PAHO’s own Disease Elimination Initiative for the Americas.
WHO launched the Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma back in 1996 C.E., setting an original target of 2020 C.E. That deadline passed without full success, and the target was extended to 2030 C.E. Countries that have now crossed the finish line include Algeria, Australia, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Morocco, Nepal, Senegal, and Viet Nam, among others.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, called the El Salvador validation “a vital step towards our global target of eliminating trachoma worldwide by 2030 and a clear signal that a healthier, more equitable future is within reach.”
What comes next
Validation is not a finish line. WHO guidelines require countries that achieve elimination to maintain surveillance systems and ensure continued access to quality eye care so the disease cannot return. El Salvador has built those systems: trained personnel, integrated surveillance, and the capacity to detect and treat trichiasis cases within its national health system.
The harder work continues elsewhere. Several countries in the Americas — including Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, and Venezuela — are still expanding investigations to clarify the epidemiological status of trachoma within their borders. Regional efforts are ongoing, and the 2030 C.E. global target remains ambitious. More than a billion people still live in areas where neglected tropical diseases are endemic, and reaching the most remote communities consistently remains the central challenge for any elimination campaign.
Still, El Salvador’s achievement adds to a growing body of evidence that systematic, community-centered health investment works. The country had been among those under investigation for suspected trachoma just years ago. By 2026 C.E., it had moved from uncertainty to certification — a trajectory that other countries in the region are now watching closely.
For context on how international health milestones unfold, the WHO trachoma fact sheet tracks global progress, and the PAHO trachoma page covers the Americas specifically. The broader WHO neglected tropical diseases program documents country-by-country progress across all 20-plus targeted conditions.
Read more
For more on this story, see: World Health Organization
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- WHO ends the COVID-19 global health emergency
- Malaria vaccine price cut brings protection closer for children
- The Good News for Humankind archive on El Salvador
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