Sleeping sickness is a deadly parasitic infection spread by tsetse flies. At its peak around 40,000 cases were reported in 1998 and many more were likely undetected. Sustained control work has cut confirmed cases to fewer than 600 by 2024, but remaining cases are often remote and hard to reach.
A new oral medicine called Acoziborole was approved by European regulators after trials in the DRC and Guinea. The drug is a single treatment of tablets taken once and removes the need for a lumbar puncture. Sanofi plans to make and donate doses to WHO, but national approvals and continued vector control are still needed to reach elimination goals.
Difficult words
- parasitic — caused by a small animal that lives on another
- tsetse fly — a biting insect that spreads human diseasetsetse flies
- lumbar puncture — a medical test with a needle in the lower back
- vector control — actions to reduce insects that spread disease
- elimination — complete removal of a disease in a place
- approve — to officially allow use or make legalapproved
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think a single-dose tablet will help people in remote areas? Why or why not?
- What problems could stop the medicine from reaching all patients?
- Why do we still need to control the flies even with the new drug?
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