NAIROBI, 8 August 2025 – Kenya has been declared free of human African trypanosomiasis, commonly known as sleeping sickness, after more than a decade without any locally acquired cases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the elimination following years of targeted surveillance, improved diagnostics and sustained control of the tsetse fly – the insect that spreads the disease.
Sleeping sickness, caused by parasites transmitted through tsetse bites, can be fatal if untreated. The rhodesiense strain found in Kenya progresses quickly, often within weeks. The last indigenous case was recorded in 2009, with two imported infections identified in 2012.
Kenya is the tenth country to eliminate the disease as a public health problem and the first in East Africa to do so. Officials say the achievement is the result of close collaboration between government agencies, health workers, researchers and affected communities, with support from international partners.
WHO and Kenyan health authorities will maintain active monitoring to prevent a resurgence, including surveillance in former hotspots and control of animal infections that can act as reservoirs for the parasite.
The milestone follows Kenya’s certification as free from Guinea worm disease in 2018, marking another victory against neglected tropical diseases.