In a landmark achievement, Kenya has been officially validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness, as a public health problem—making it the 10th country to do so. This accomplishment follows years of sustained efforts—including enhanced surveillance across sentinel sites, tsetse fly control, strengthened laboratory diagnostics, and community-centered interventions—that have kept new indigenous cases at bay for over a decade. Though the disease still exists in the environment, Kenya is now transitioning to a vigilant post-validation surveillance phase, ensuring rapid detection and response to any potential resurgence.
Aug52025
Nigerian PhD scholar wins prestigious French science award for river blindness research
Oluwadamilare Dauda, a final-year PhD scholar at Osun State University, received the Young Scientist Award from France’s National Veterinary School of Toulouse. This honor recognizes his cutting-edge research into blackfly transmission of onchocerciasis (river blindness). The award also enabled Dauda to deepen his expertise alongside global vector specialists during a summer program in Toulouse—highlighting the importance of international collaboration in infectious disease control.