“Today I feel very grateful, satisfied, and happy. Now I can do my daily tasks. I used to feel a lot of discomfort and pain,” Manuela Suy Yac told PAHO, a 66-year-old resident of Guineales, a rural community in Guatemala’s Sololá department.

Yac received eyelid surgery as part of a trachoma elimination campaign supported by Guatemala’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), and the Government of Canada. After the procedure, she said she no longer feels the constant discomfort that once kept her from her daily tasks.

Yac’s experience reflects Guatemala’s broader efforts to eliminate trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. The country is using surveillance initiatives, health worker training, and regional partnerships to identify remaining cases and prevent future outbreaks in vulnerable communities. Recent efforts, supported by PAHO, Tropical Data, and international partners, focus on strengthening disease monitoring through training and enhanced surveys.

Understanding the Impact of Trachoma in Guatemala

Trachoma is a neglected tropical disease caused by repeated infection with certain strains of the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. If left untreated, the disease can lead to serious scarring of the eyelids over time. In severe cases, the eyelashes turn inward and rub against the surface of the eye, which can result in permanent vision loss. Trachoma occurs most often in communities affected by poverty, where access to clean water and sanitation is limited.

Although trachoma has been eliminated as a public health problem in some countries in the Americas, Guatemala still requires active surveillance to track the disease’s prevalence and identify vulnerable populations. Researchers identified 69 municipalities in Guatemala as very high priority for trachoma surveillance, highlighting where continued monitoring is most needed.

Guatemala Strengthens Trachoma Surveillance

Since 2011, Guatemala’s Ministry of Health, in partnership with PAHO and the Government of Canada, has implemented the SAFE strategy to eliminate trachoma in affected areas (p. 2). These efforts have included antibiotic treatment for more than 75,000 people across 95 communities in Sololá, as well as surgical interventions for more than 100 people between 2019 and 2022 to treat advanced trachoma-related eye damage.

As part of these elimination efforts, the country hosted a regional Training of Trainers workshop in February 2025 focused on expanding surveillance capabilities across regions. Organized by PAHO with support from Tropical Data and funding from the Government of Canada, the workshop trained health professionals to conduct enhanced trachoma surveys and collect additional data to help identify remaining cases. These efforts are designed to improve the quality of surveillance and provide public health officials with better information to guide elimination strategies.

Unlike standard trachoma surveys, the enhanced “plus” surveys include conjunctival swabs and dried blood spot samples, which provide additional information about transmission and exposure. According to Tropical Data, these methods support more integrated disease surveillance by allowing health officials to screen for multiple diseases with a single sample and detect disease patterns across communities. As Guatemala moves toward trachoma elimination, these tools support a more multi-disease surveillance approach to public health monitoring.

Regional Partnerships Expand Elimination Efforts

Regional partnerships have played an important role in supporting trachoma elimination in Guatemala. As reported by Tropical Data, the 2025 training workshop brought together 14 delegates from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Participants received training they can share with health professionals in their home countries, helping to strengthen surveillance capacity and standardize methods across the region.

Beyond trachoma, these collaborative efforts support broader disease surveillance and elimination goals across the Americas. Tropical Data notes that integrated approaches to disease monitoring improve both the efficiency and the reach of public health surveillance. By strengthening partnerships and sharing expertise across borders, countries can build more sustainable public health systems while working toward the elimination of neglected tropical diseases.

Improving Lives Across Guatemala

The benefits of this work extend beyond improved health outcomes. According to PAHO, restoring eye health allows people to resume daily, economic, and family activities that were limited by the disease. As communities gain greater access to treatment and prevention, trachoma elimination can reduce the burden of preventable vision loss in vulnerable populations.

The progress made so far shows how investments in public health can create lasting benefits for communities. Through continued surveillance, training, and collaboration with regional and international partners, the country is eliminating a disease that has long affected some of its most vulnerable residents. While challenges remain, these efforts are helping move Guatemala closer to a future free from trachoma-related blindness.

For patients like Yac, this work is more than a public health achievement. It represents a personal transformation. Reflecting on the impact of her surgery, she put it simply: “I am free of trachoma.” As Guatemala continues its elimination efforts, stories like hers highlight the life-changing potential of accessible health care and disease prevention.

– Lily Hoch

Lily is based in Midway, PA, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixnio