12 February 2026
International eye care charity Orbis has confirmed that it has met the World Health Organization (WHO) threshold for eliminating trachoma as a public health concern in Sheka Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.
The achievement means that trachoma, an eye disease that leads to permanent blindness, is no longer considered to be a major threat to over 250,000 people living in the region.
Sheka is the second area where Orbis, alongside partner organisations, have achieved the WHO elimination threshold. The first area was Gedeo.
Through the work of the charity and its partners, the number of people at risk of the neglected tropical disease has reduced from 1.5 billion to 97.1 million.
Orbis highlighted: “For communities that have lived for generations with the risk of infection, pain and vision loss, this progress reflects lasting change – and proof that ending this disease is possible.”
Reflecting on the latest achievement, country director of Orbis Ethiopia, Dr Alemayehu Sisay, said: “Reaching the WHO trachoma elimination threshold in Sheka Zone is a major milestone for Orbis and the communities we serve.”
He explained: “Working with government and NGO partners, we have helped to stop the spread of infection, showing that this disease can be eliminated through sustained, community-led action.”
Orbis has worked in Ethiopia since 1998. During 2013–2014 it supported the baseline mapping of trachoma through the Global Trachoma Mapping Project, which was funded by the UK Government, enabling the areas most impacted by the disease to be identified.
In 2019 Orbis launched a trachoma programme, which was supported by the END Fund, and aimed to bring prevention and provide treatment for the disease across Southwest Ethiopia through surgery and mass drug administration in partnership with Sightsavers’ Accelerate Fund.
Institutions and networking lead at Orbis UK, Andrew Wardle, explained that through collaboration with local health authorities, partners and supporters, trachoma has been brought under control in Sheka Zone, “demonstrating that with the right support, this disease can be eliminated as a public health problem for good.”
Since the project began, Orbis and its partners have delivered over half a million doses of antibiotics across the Sheka Zone in order to stop trachoma from spreading. The charity has also performed more than 600 surgeries to prevent further pain and sight loss in people already affected.
Orbis said that while trachoma elimination in the Sheka Zone “marks a major success,” it emphasised that “significant eye care needs remain.”
The charity is now supporting this need through a new project in Southwest Ethiopia that aims to provide consistent secondary eye care to communities across six zones and 50 districts, reaching a population of more than 3.3 million people.
The project aims to establish and strengthen secondary eye care units, train local eye care professionals, improve the quality of cataract surgery and refraction services, and expand outreach to communities.
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