Brazilian health teams tackle a parasitic disease

WHO lists a regional traditional medicine workshop in Riyadh on 17–19 September; this is the last day.

The Eastern Mediterranean consultation contributed to WHO’s broader priority-setting exercise.

The Riyadh workshop examined research needs in a region with its own inherited medical knowledge traditions.

The regional meeting was part of coordinated discussions about research, rather than an approval of particular therapies.

Brazil eliminated lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.

The validation recognized sustained work by Brazilian services and communities.

Elimination as a public health problem does not rule out future imported infection.

Pakistan met WHO criteria for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem.

Trachoma control combines care for affected people with ways to reduce new infections.

Progress relied on disease monitoring and access to services in previously affected areas.