Aim. - Reporting the essential axes and results of the first and main stage of the national campaign launched in 2013 in Algeria, which aimed at determining the prevalence of trachoma and acting to eliminate it at the end of 2020, recalling the historical, clinical and epidemiological context of this transmissible and blinding disease. Methodology. - It is a descriptive cross-sectional prospective study. Target population concerned pupils aged 5 to 9 years in 801 schools randomly selected, scattered on nearly two million square kilometers in the Algerian south Sahara. A thousand health professionals divided in 131 teams, each headed by an ophthalmologist, were mobilized. Every campaign lasted 5 days. Results. - The trachoma prevalence exceeded 90% during the first half of the 20th century and 30% in its active contagious form during the sixties. One hundred sixty-eight thousand six hundred and fifty-one pupils among the 197,694 aged between 5 and 9 years target in 2013 (85%) were examined. Eleven thousand seven hundred and eighty-two cases of active trachoma were reported and treated. Three hundred and seventy-three schools and 45 towns received a mass processing treatment. No case of trichiasis or corneal opacity linked to trachoma was noted. Comment. - The prevalence of active trachoma in Algeria in the 1960s was superimposable to that reported in Vietnam in the 1980s. The multiple campaigns against trachoma, with only etiological aim, led during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, contributed to the reduction of prevalence and severity of the disease but not to its elimination. The campaign launched in 2013 based on the WHO strategy combining medical and environmental measures achieved its goals. Conclusion. - Trachoma is a neglected disease causing low vision and blindness. It is eligible for elimination in all world countries. (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of l'Academie nationale de medecine.
