The World Health Organization validated the achievement on Thursday. Improvements in sanitation, faster diagnosis and antibiotic programmes are among the measures used to tackle trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, particularly in poorer communities.

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The achievement means trachoma has now been eliminated as a public health problem across Southeast Asia. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the regional milestone a significant step towards eliminating the disease worldwide by 2030. He said Timor-Leste had demonstrated how science and strong health systems can protect communities from preventable blindness.