Nairobi: Kenya has officially been validated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as having eliminated Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, as a public health problem. Kenya becomes the tenth African country to achieve this milestone, marking its second neglected tropical disease (NTD) elimination after Guinea worm disease was eradicated in 2018.
According to Kenya News Agency, this validation represents a significant public health achievement for Kenya, as it eliminates a deadly disease from the country. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale emphasized that this accomplishment will not only protect the population but also pave the way for economic growth and prosperity.
Sleeping sickness is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies. In Kenya, the illness is caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, which progresses rapidly and can be fatal within weeks if untreated. Initial symptoms include fever, headache, joint pain, and itching, which can advance to confusion, poor coordination, disturbed sleep cycles, and eventually coma.
Rural populations engaged in farming, fishing, animal husbandry, or hunting are most at risk. Although the disease is now considered eliminated as a public health problem in Kenya, health authorities have committed to maintaining active surveillance to prevent any re-emergence.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the Kenyan government and its people on this achievement, noting that Kenya joins other African nations in eliminating human African trypanosomiasis. The first cases of HAT in Kenya were detected in the early 20th century, with the disease persisting for decades in regions like the Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Coast.
Ministry of Health records indicate that Kenya reported dozens of cases annually in the mid-20th century, with outbreaks in tsetse-infested areas posing significant health and economic risks. The last indigenous case was recorded in 2009, and the last two imported cases, linked to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, were detected in 2012. Since then, intensified surveillance and control efforts have prevented new infections.
Kenya’s strategy to reach this milestone included bolstering HAT surveillance in 12 health facilities across six historically endemic counties, equipping them with modern diagnostic tools, and training clinicians in detection techniques. The Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council (KENTTEC) also enhanced monitoring and control of tsetse flies and animal trypanosomiasis.
Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director-General for Health, highlighted Kenya’s commitment to sustaining surveillance and quality care, in line with WHO recommendations. WHO and partners, including FIND, have pledged ongoing technical support to ensure rapid response if cases reappear. The global health agency also maintains a reserve stock of medicines for emergency treatment.
With this achievement, Kenya joins Benin, Chad, C´te d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda as countries that have successfully eliminated HAT as a public health problem. Globally, 57 countries have eliminated at least one NTD, marking significant progress in addressing diseases that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest communities.
