Eye disease trachoma no longer a public health concern in Saudi Arabia, WHO says

Regional director hails 'remarkable achievement' after disease eliminated through health ministry campaign

Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean. Photo courtesy WHO EMRO

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday said trachoma, a neglected eye disease that can cause blindness, was no longer a public health problem in Saudi Arabia.

The WHO credited the health ministry's move to integrate a comprehensive eye care programme into the kingdom's primary health care services – the first point of contact in the healthcare system – with helping to turn the tide against the disease, which is the number one cause of preventable blindness around the world.

“This is a remarkable achievement that has saved people from preventable visual impairment or blindness. It is about improving quality of life and well-being,” said Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO regional director for Eastern Mediterranean. He said such success stories are encouraging and help others to eliminate more diseases in the region.

The health ministry also partnered with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in its campaign to rid the kingdom of the disease.

Saudi Health Minister Fahad Bin Abdulrahman Al Jalajil earlier this week received a letter from WHO Director General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, congratulating the kingdom for its success in eliminating trachoma.

The kingdom is only the fourth country in the middle east to have successfully eliminated public health risk from trachoma.

Trachoma remains widespread in five countries in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region, but the numbers of people requiring antibiotic treatment for the disease has declined by millions in recent years.

Around 39 million people in the region needed antibiotics to treat it in 2013, compared with 11 million in 2020, according to the WHO.

The disease is caused by a bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis, which spreads easily through direct personal contact, things like shared towels, or flies that have come into contact with the eyes or nose of an infected person.

Saudi Arabia's health sector and professionals, in collaboration with WHO, are working on eliminating other tropical diseases, including schistosomiasis, worm infestations and leishmaniasis. The kingdom and WHO will continue to closely monitor and respond to previously endemic areas.

The WHO's SAFE strategy to beat trachoma promotes hygiene measures like facial cleanliness to prevent the spread, particular among children, who can pick up trachoma at a young age.

If left untreated, the disease can cause scarring of the eyelid that can worsen over time and lead to blindness.