Sleeping sickness (also known as human African trypanosomiasis) affects people in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Elimination programmes reported only 992 new cases in 2019. Sleeping sickness is caused by an infection, with parasites transmitted to humans through the bites of infected tsetse flies. The disease manifests in two forms: chronic infection with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense…
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Guinea worm disease (also known as dracunculiasis) is on the verge of eradication with only 54 cases reported in 2019. There are now only four countries – all of them in Africa – that are endemic for Guinea worm disease. Guinea worm disease is a parasitic illness which is caught by drinking water that contains…
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155 million people live in areas endemic for blinding trachoma and it is a public health problem in Asia, the Americas, Australia and the Middle East. 90% of those affected live in Africa. Blinding trachoma is a disease caused by a contagious bacterial infection of the eye. It is commonly spread through contact with contaminated…
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