The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) congratulates the Republic of Guinea for successfully eliminating the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) as a public health problem. This form of human African trypanosomiasis, the only type transmitted in Guinea, is now the first neglected tropical disease (NTD) to be eliminated in the country.

The elimination of sleeping sickness is the result of many years of effort by the Guinean government, its partners, and communities within the overall context of the national policy to combat all neglected tropical diseases.

Dr. Oumar Diouhé BAH, Guinea’s Minister of Health and Public Hygiene

Guinea’s success is attributed to strong government commitment and strong technical and financial support from partners, highlighting the importance of unified action in efforts to eliminate NTDs. Additionally, working closely with local communities has been crucial, ensuring that interventions are culturally acceptable and widely supported. This underscores the significance of a people-centered and community-led approach in sustainable and effective NTD programmes and interventions.

Guinea joins seven other African countries that have been validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis: Togo (2020), Benin (2021), Côte d’Ivoire (2021), Uganda (2022), Equatorial Guinea (2022), Ghana (2023), and Chad (2024). The rhodesiense form of the disease has been eliminated as a public health problem in one country, Rwanda, which was validated by the WHO in 2022.

Human African trypanosomiasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease transmitted by infected tsetse flies. It is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa and can be fatal without treatment.

Guinea’s milestone marks a significant achievement in Africa’s efforts to control and eliminate NTDs, making it the 23^rd African country to eliminate at least one NTD. This serves as a huge inspiration toward the WHO goal of eliminating at least one NTD in 100 countries by 2030 and contributes to the continent’s momentum toward the vision of the Continental Framework for the Control and Elimination of NTDs in Africa by 2030.