In a landmark achievement for global health, the World Health Organization has declared Guinea free of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis commonly known as sleeping sickness, as a public health problem.
This victory makes sleeping sickness the first neglected tropical disease eliminated in Guinea.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated Guinea in a social media post today.
He described the announcement as a testament to the global progress against neglected tropical diseases and a beacon of hope for nations still battling the disease.
Sleeping sickness, a parasitic disease transmitted by infected tsetse flies, causes symptoms ranging from fever and headaches and in advanced stages, it causes neurological problems like confusion and sleep disturbances.
WHO says Guinea’s success in eliminating this potentially fatal disease is a result of sustained investment, strategic partnerships, and community engagement.
The resurgence of sleeping sickness in Guinea’s coastal regions during the 1990s, driven by increased human activity in mangroves, prompted the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene to establish the National Programme for the Control of HAT in 2002.
WHO says Guinea was also supported by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement and later, partners like the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and the Institut Pasteur de Guinée, which helped launch mass medical screenings for early diagnosis and treatment.
Guinea’s journey to elimination was not without obstacles. The Ebola outbreak from 2013-2015 severely disrupted health services, leading to a resurgence in sleeping sickness cases. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 presented further challenges.
WHO praised Guinea for quickly adapting and implementing door-to-door HAT screening to maintain momentum.
