Egypt Eliminates Trachoma: Eastern Mediterranean Success
- Trachoma is an infectious eye disease caused by the bacterium chlamydia trachomatis.
- Trachoma has been documented in Egypt for over 3,000 years.
- Since 2002, the Ministry of health and Population of Egypt, in partnership with WHO and other national and international stakeholders, has pursued trachoma elimination through the WHO-endorsed SAFE...
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Egypt Eliminates Trachoma: A Historic Public Health Achievement
Table of Contents
What is trachoma?
Trachoma is an infectious eye disease caused by the bacterium chlamydia trachomatis. It’s spread through direct person-to-person contact, often among children, and through contact with flies that have been in contact with infected eye secretions. Repeated infections led to scarring of the eyelid, which can turn inward (trichiasis) and rub against the cornea, causing pain and ultimately blindness.
Egypt’s Journey to Elimination
A Century-Long Journey Against Trachoma
Trachoma has been documented in Egypt for over 3,000 years. Public health efforts to address its burden began in the early 20th century, when pioneering ophthalmologist Arthur Ferguson MacCallan established Egypt’s first mobile and permanent eye hospitals and laid the groundwork for organized trachoma control globally. Yet by the 1980s, it still blinded many adults and affected over half of all children in some Nile Delta communities.
Since 2002, the Ministry of health and Population of Egypt, in partnership with WHO and other national and international stakeholders, has pursued trachoma elimination through the WHO-endorsed SAFE strategy, which represents Surgery for trichiasis, Antibiotics to clear the causative organism, Facial cleanliness and Environmental advancement.
Between 2015 and 2025,extensive mapping and surveillance across all 27 of egypt’s governorates showed steady reductions in the proportion of children aged 1-9 years affected by active (inflammatory) trachoma,and no significant burden of the blinding complications of trachoma in adults. Both indicators are now below WHO elimination prevalence thresholds nationwide. In 2024, Egypt integrated trachoma surveillance into its national electronic disease reporting system, which should facilitate rapid response to any future cases.
The SAFE Strategy: A Multi-Pronged Approach
The success in Egypt, and globally, hinges on the implementation of the SAFE strategy:
- Surgery: Correcting trichiasis (inward turning eyelids) to prevent corneal damage.
- Antibiotics: Treating active trachoma infections, typically with azithromycin, distributed through mass drug administration campaigns.
- Facial cleanliness: Promoting hygiene practices, especially among children, to reduce transmission.