African Sleeping Sickness Could Be Eliminated, But Only If Forceful Efforts Continue

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Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Also Included In: Public Health;  Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 04 Mar 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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The number of detected cases of African sleeping sickness detected annually has been falling since the late 1990s. But, according to tropical disease experts in a report released on February 25, 2008 in the Neglected Disease feature of PLoS Medicine, unless efforts are maintained to eliminate the disease, it could be revived in the near future.

African sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is a parasitic disease endemic to regions of sub-Saharan Africa. It is caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Trypanosoma, which is usually transmitted by the blood sucking bites of the tsetse fly. Symptoms include first muscle and joint aches and enlarged lymph glands; they are followed by the alternating disorientation, fatigue and insomnia for which the disease has its name. Untreated, it can be fatal.

HAT is considered to be a neglected disease, because the funding available for research and health initiatives is significantly than the major three (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria,) and it affects a population that is generally deficient in health care coverage. According to Pere Simarro of the World Health Organization and colleagues, elimination of the disease is considered to be within reach. But, they say, since recent efforts have been so successful, they might be cut short by a resulting drop in priority among public and private health institutions. Consequently, the capacity to maintain control of the disease could be lost again.

The authors conclude with words of caution for the efforts of the future. "While waiting for new tools for sleeping sickness control," they say, "the greatest challenge for the coming years will be to increase and sustain the current control efforts using existing tools."

About PLoS Medicine

PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org.

About the Public Library of Science

The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org.

Eliminating Human African Trypanosomiasis: Where Do We Stand and What Comes Next
Pere P. Simarro, Jean Jannin, Pierre Cattand
PLoS Med 5(2): e55
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Written by Anna Sophia McKenney
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