A deadly tropical disease known as sleeping sickness has been eliminated from Kenya in a significant public health triumph.
The East African nation is the 10th on the continent to achieve the milestone, but also the most populous to do so.
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) results from the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, that spreads to humans through the bites of the tsetse fly. As with many neglected tropical diseases, its hunting ground is rural areas or poor communities with limited access to medical services.
Replicating in the bloodstream and lymphatic system, the mature parasite causes personality changes, confusion, poor coordination, and disrupted sleep cycles that give the disease its name.
“I congratulate the government and people of Kenya on this landmark achievement,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Kenya joins the growing ranks of countries freeing their populations of HAT. This is another step towards making Africa free of neglected tropical diseases.”
Sleeping sickness is often fatal if untreated and was a scourge in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s. 40,000 cases were being diagnosed in a year, but an impressive mobilization of human and development capital has seen that number fall 40-fold.
SAFER AND SAFER:
Safer treatments, simpler diagnostic methods, and community awareness building to help villagers detect early signs of the parasite all contributed to the eradication in Kenya, which joins Uganda, Rwanda, Benin, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, and Togo which have also eliminated sleeping sickness.
“This validation marks a major public health milestone for Kenya, as we celebrate the elimination of a deadly disease in our country,” said Dr. Aden Duale, Kenya’s Secretary for Health. “The achievement will not only protect our people but also pave the way for renewed economic growth and prosperity.”
SHARE This Impressive Accomplishment With Your Friends…
