PAHO, Brazil's Ministry of Health convene experts to align strategies for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem

Brasilia, September 8, 2025 - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health organized a meeting this Monday and Tuesday (September 8-9) to conduct the validation process for the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Brazil. The meeting was attended by 25 experts, including ophthalmologists, epidemiologists, and researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the University of São Paulo (USP), the Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC) and the São Paulo State Department of Health.

"This meeting is made possible by a PAHO cooperation agreement with the Government of Canada, in response to a Ministry of Health request to align agendas on pending issues that need to be addressed to complete the dossier documenting elimination trachoma as a public health problem in Brazil," said Sheila Rodovalho, Technical Officer for Malaria and Neglected Infectious Diseases at the PAHO/World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Brazil. According to Dr. Rodovalho, sustained work is needed to achieve elimination of this disease, followed by post-elimination surveillance in every state and municipality in Brazil.

Once the dossier is complete, the Brazilian Ministry of Health may petition PAHO and WHO to certify the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in the country. Trachoma is one of the so-called neglected tropical diseases and most often affects those who are most vulnerable, disproportionately afflicting women due to socio-cultural determinants and to its mode of transmission. In Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the most affected populations are the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon Basin.

The event's opening panel highlighted the need to respect interculturality. Putira Sacuena, Director of the Department of Indigenous Primary Health Care (DAPSI/SESAI) at the Brazilian Ministry of Health, stressed that "when we respect and recognize territory as a technology for care and health, we make progress in public health in Brazil. We are here to discuss not only surgery, not only tests, which are essential, but we need to acknowledge what they have within the territory," she noted. Likewise, Marília Santini, Director of the Ministry's Department of Communicable Diseases, highlighted the importance of taking local culture into account when carrying out trachoma elimination activities.

Partnership with Canada

A cooperation agreement between PAHO and the Government of Canada set forth the implementation, between 2023 and 2028, of a project to improve the health of communities, women, and children by eliminating trachoma as a public health problem in the Americas. The initiative prioritizes 10 countries in Latin America, including Brazil.

According to Sandra Talero, PAHO Regional Advisor for Trachoma Elimination, PAHO's partnership with the Government of Canada "provides the opportunity to move toward a more sustainable world. This initiative focuses on how we can deliver services to women, children, and, especially, vulnerable populations-Indigenous peoples in particular," she added, stressing that ending trachoma is also a priority of the PAHO Diseases Elimination Initiative.

To achieve the long-term goal of eliminating trachoma, the project proposes increasing access to and demand for the SAFE strategy, an evidence-based approach recommended by PAHO and WHO. SAFE consists of an integrated package of interventions which includes surgery to prevent visual impairment and blindness, antibiotics to treat infections, facial cleanliness to prevent infections, and environmental improvements to reduce transmission.

"We currently have 17 countries in which the SAFE strategy is being implemented, but not yet at full geographical scale. In 12 countries, it is being implemented at scale, whereas in 10 countries, work is underway at various stages," added Anthony Solomon, Chief Scientist and Secretary of the WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020.