Health Alerts

Late last month the WHO announced it had granted validation for the elimination of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in Togo after 10 years without cases. The West African nation is the first of the 36 endemic countries in the sub-Saharan region to do so. The gambiense spp ‘is found in 24 countries in west and central Africa and accounts for more than 98% of cases’ while the remainder, caused by the rhodesiense spp, occur in 13 eastern and southern African countries.  Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana have also started the WHO validation process.  Read More