The World Health Organization declared on Friday that Kenya has become the tenth nation to eradicate sleeping sickness as a public health issue.
Informally known as human African trypanosomiasis, the vector-borne illness is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the WHO, HAT is typically lethal if left untreated.
Tsetse flies that have contracted the blood parasite Trypanosoma brucei from infected humans or animals can bite humans, causing sleeping sickness.
Rural populations dependent on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry or hunting are deemed most at risk of exposure.
“I congratulate the government and people of Kenya on this landmark achievement,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
“Kenya joins the growing ranks of countries freeing their populations of HAT. This is another step towards making Africa free of neglected tropical diseases.”
The parasites can cross the blood-brain barrier into the central nervous system.
According to the WHO, this is typically when the more overt symptoms of HAT manifest, including altered behavior, disorientation, sensory abnormalities, and impaired coordination. One of the main characteristics of the condition is the disruption of the sleep cycle, which is the source of its name.
The early 20th century saw the discovery of the first cases in Kenya.
In addition to Kenya, Benin, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda have all eradicated sleeping sickness as a public health issue.
