Geneva: SiltaNews – News Desk
Egypt has received certification from the World Health Organization confirming the country’s elimination of trachoma as a public health problem for the second consecutive year, marking another global health milestone for the country.
Deputy Health Minister Amr Kandil received the certification from WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on behalf of Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
With the achievement, Egypt becomes the seventh country in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region to eliminate trachoma, one of the world’s leading preventable causes of blindness. Trachoma is a bacterial eye infection caused by Chlamydia trachomatis and remains a public health concern in around 30 countries worldwide.
According to WHO data from November 2025, about 97 million people live in areas where the disease remains endemic and are at risk of trachoma-related blindness. The disease spreads through personal contact and exposure to contaminated surfaces or flies that have come into contact with infected eye or nasal discharge. Egyptians had suffered from trachoma for more than 3,000 years, the ministry says.
Modern efforts to combat the disease date back to the early 20th century under pioneering ophthalmologist Arthur MacCallan, who established Egypt’s first mobile and permanent eye hospitals. Minister Abdel Ghaffar said the certification reflects international recognition of Egypt’s success in eliminating trachoma and confirms that the disease no longer poses a public health threat in the country.
Kandil noted that neglected tropical diseases are often linked to poor environmental sanitation and inadequate access to clean water and sewage services. He said WHO strategies to combat such diseases focus on improving sanitation standards and strengthening infrastructure.