Australian Trachoma Surveillance Report update: 2014-2022

Australia is the only high-income country where trachoma has been endemic, defined as an overall trachoma prevalence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 5-9 years of 5% or more. The Australian Government funds the National Trachoma Surveillance and Reporting Unit to collate and analyse trachoma prevalence data and control strategies annually. This report presents data submitted from 2014 to 2022. In 2022, there were 87 remote communities considered at-risk of endemic trachoma, a decline of 51% since 2014 when 177 communities were considered at-risk. World Health Organization grading criteria are used to diagnose trachoma in at-risk populations. Overall prevalence, which includes estimates from all communities ever considered at-risk, fell below 5% endemicity thresholds for the first time in 2022 in Western Australia (2.9%), the Northern Territory (2.1%), New South Wales (0.5%), and in Queensland and South Australia (0.0% each). New cases of trachomatous trichiasis-a severe consequence of trachoma that causes blindness-were detected in eight out of 10,806 persons, aged 15 years and over, screened in 2022. Jurisdictional trichiasis prevalence was 0.2% in Western and South Australia and 0.0% in the Northern Territory. Australia must maintain overall trachoma and trichiasis prevalence below endemicity levels for a further two years before applying for World Health Organization validation of elimination of trachoma as a public health problem.