Libya achieves WHO validation on trachoma elimination

Libya has officially eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a major public health milestone for a country long affected by political instability and conflict as reported by Libya Herald. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the validation on 18 February 2026, stating that Libya has met all criteria required to demonstrate that the disease no longer represents a public health threat.

Trachoma, a bacterial eye infection that can lead to irreversible blindness if left untreated, had been endemic in Libya for over a century, particularly in southern regions. According to WHO, Libya becomes the 28th country worldwide and the eighth in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve elimination.

The achievement follows years of targeted interventions led by Libya’s Ministry of Health with technical support from WHO and international partners. Trachoma elimination was incorporated into the National Prevention of Blindness Programme in 2017, with field surveys conducted in 2022 across six southern districts where transmission was suspected to persist. While infection rates were largely found to be below elimination thresholds, localized trichiasis cases required further surgical interventions, which were completed by 2025.

WHO officials described the success as particularly notable given Libya’s fragile health system, which has been weakened by years of armed conflict, displacement, and institutional fragmentation. Health infrastructure has faced chronic shortages of staff, equipment, and funding, while access to basic services such as water and sanitation remains uneven.

This public health success comes amid broader concerns about Libya’s stalled political transition. On February 18th, the United Nations warned that Libya remains at risk of prolonged institutional paralysis, as international efforts, particularly a U.S. backed integration plan, have yet to resolve divisions between rival political and military authorities. The lack of a unified government continues to complicate service delivery across the country, including in the health sector.

Despite these challenges, recent months have seen limited but notable progress in health and social services. The UN introduced a Disability Rights Charter in Libya in January 2026, aiming to strengthen protections for people with disabilities, while hospitals have continued to carry out complex medical procedures, including advanced joint surgeries, despite operational constraints.

WHO officials stressed that eliminating trachoma does not mean health risks have disappeared, but rather that Libya must now maintain surveillance and access to care to prevent re-emergence. Still, the achievement offers a rare example of national coordination delivering results in a divided country, and highlights how targeted health interventions can succeed even amid political uncertainty.

Libya Herald, World Health Organization, Maghrebi.org