El Salvador has been validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, becoming the second country in the Region to achieve this important milestone.
The validation recognizes the sustained efforts of the Ministry of Health of El Salvador, with the technical support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the financial backing of the Government of Canada, to document the country’s epidemiological situation, strengthen surveillance systems, and promote comprehensive eye health actions, as well as interventions aimed at addressing the social and environmental determinants of health.
The path to validation
The validation is the result of a process initiated in 2023, when El Salvador joined the Initiative for the Elimination of Trachoma in the Americas, led by PAHO and financed by the Government of Canada. As part of this effort, the country established a National Trachoma Technical Working Group, developed national assessment protocols, and conducted a territorial vulnerability analysis to identify areas at highest risk of the disease.
Between 2024 and 2025, national teams trained to international standards, conducted rapid trachoma assessments in prioritized municipalities and communities, complemented by integrated public health activities, including vision screening, epidemiological surveillance, vaccination, water testing, and the implementation of Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool.
The results confirmed the absence of active transmission of the disease and of cases of trachomatous trichiasis (chronic eyelid damage) in the assessed areas, demonstrating that trachoma is no longer a public health problem in the country.
In addition to generating the evidence required for validation, the process strengthened national and local capacities, consolidated sustainable surveillance mechanisms, and promoted integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) actions, contributing to improved health and well-being in communities and helping prevent the re-emergence of the disease.
This achievement contributes to the Elimination Initiative led by PAHO, which aims to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030, and reflects El Salvador’s commitment to health equity and access to services for the most vulnerable populations.
El Salvador validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem
Geneva/Washington, D.C./San Salvador, 13 July 2026 (PAHO/WHO) — The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated El Salvador as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma is the world's leading infectious cause of blindness.
