The World Health Organization's programme to eliminate human African trypanosomiasis, commonly known as sleeping sickness, a disease transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies and concentrated in rural sub-Saharan Africa. The WHO road map for neglected tropical diseases covering 2021 to 2030, endorsed by the 73rd World Health Assembly, set the specific target of eliminating transmission of the gambiense form of the disease, meaning reducing reported cases to zero, building on earlier progress that had already let WHO validate several countries, including Equatorial Guinea in June 2022, as having eliminated the disease as a public health problem. Reported case counts have fallen into the low hundreds worldwide in recent years, and the programme relies on improved diagnostics and drugs, continued engagement of at-risk populations and health workers, and sustained support from national authorities and international partners to reach full transmission elimination by 2030.
Facts
Program StatusActive; the 2020 target of elimination as a public health problem was met, with a 2030 target to interrupt transmission entirely. 1 Sponsoring BodyWorld Health Organization, with partnerships including the Sanofi Foundation and Bayer HealthCare. 1 Target PopulationAn estimated 55 million people at risk in endemic areas of sub-Saharan Africa, for the period 2016 to 2020. 1 Health GoalEliminate gambiense human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem, and ultimately interrupt transmission entirely (zero cases). 1 Geographic ScopeEndemic across 24 countries of west and central Africa (gambiense form) and 13 countries of eastern and southern Africa (rhodesiense form). 1 Measured ResultsReported cases fell to a historic low, dropping under 1,000 per year from 2018 onward, remaining below that threshold through 2022. 1 Classification
Program Kind Connections
Delivers Practice
Entity-backed identity for the program-kind enum value this public health program already carries, resolved to a health practice by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The program-kind fact itself stays on the program unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. WHO Fact Sheet: Trypanosomiasis, Human African (Sleeping Sickness)
World Health OrganizationWHO HAT fact sheet, road map targets
the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap targeted for 2020 its elimination as a public health problem, and for 2030 the interruption of transmission (zero case).
WHO HAT fact sheet, geographic distribution west and central Africa
found in 24 countries of west and central Africa
WHO HAT fact sheet, population at risk estimate
The population at risk estimated for the period 2016-2020 was 55 million people
WHO HAT fact sheet, case count trend
HAT occurrence reached a historic low under 2000 cases in 2017 and under 1000 cases in 2018, remaining below that threshold as of 2022.
WHO HAT fact sheet, partnerships
partnerships with the Sanofi Foundation and Bayer HealthCare
WHO HAT fact sheet, road map targets (status)
the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap targeted for 2020 its elimination as a public health problem, and for 2030 the interruption of transmission (zero case).
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