Current Affairs - International - Discussion

In 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) certified Kenya free of human African trypanosomiasis, commonly known as sleeping sickness, marking a major victory in public health. This achievement makes Kenya the 10th country to eliminate the disease as a public health challenge, following decades of dedicated efforts in tsetse fly control, improved diagnostics, effective treatment, and community awareness campaigns. The disease, caused by protozoa transmitted via tsetse flies, can be fatal if untreated. Kenya’s success builds on its earlier milestone of eliminating Guinea worm disease in 2018 and reinforces Africa’s broader drive to eradicate neglected tropical diseases through coordinated strategies.