• The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially certified Kenya as having eliminated Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness.
• This parasitic disease, endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, is transmitted through the bite of infected tsetse flies.
• HAT manifests initially with fever, headaches, and joint pain, but can progress to severe neurological symptoms like confusion, disturbed sleep, and behavioural changes if untreated.
• There are two forms of the disease:
• Trypanosoma brucei gambiense – found in 24 countries of West and Central Africa, responsible for 92% of cases, and causing chronic illness where symptoms may take years to appear.
• Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense – found in 13 countries of Eastern and Southern Africa, causing acute illness and accounting for 8% of cases.
• The disease is more common in rural communities dependent on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry, or hunting. With Kenya’s recognition, WHO has now validated the elimination of the gambiense form of HAT in Togo (2020), Benin (2021), Ivory Coast (2021), Uganda (2022), Equatorial Guinea (2022), Ghana (2023), Chad (2024), Guinea (2025), and now Kenya.
• This milestone marks significant progress toward WHO’s goal of eradicating sleeping sickness as a public health problem across Africa.