Supporting endemic countries to eliminate human African trypanosomiasis

Control of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) requires case detection followed by curative treatment to break the cycle of transmission by depleting the human reservoir (in the gambiense form), completed, if possible, by targeted vector control. National HAT control programmes are in the front-line of control and surveillance activities. WHO and other stakeholders, including bilateral cooperation agencies and nongovernmental and philanthropic organizations, support these efforts. The public–private partnership between WHO and the pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and Bayer has been reinforcing this support since 2001. 

We have seen how upholding this support over time can dramatically decrease the global incidence of HAT and possibly eliminate the disease. The support focuses on:

Case detection: screening exposed populations using serological tests, passively in health facilities and actively by mobile units; confirmatory diagnosis with microscopy. 

Case management: disease staging to determine the correct treatment; ensuring access to the best treatment available for all cases.

Surveillance: documenting all cases in place and time ( HAT Atlas), and tracking the situation at all levels to appropriately target field operations; maintaining sentinel sites in key health facilities.

Technical support and capacity‐building: assessing the local situation, selecting adapted techniques and strategies, and developing guidelines and support material for training and supervision.