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Impact
50,000-70,000 cases
48,000 deaths
1,525,000 DALYs
Large proportions of communities can be affected by HAT,
with serious social and economic consequences. Epidemics at
the end of the 20th century infected up to 50% of population
in several villages across rural Africa.
 
Geography
Of the 36 countries considered endemic for HAT, the 7 most affected countries represent 97% of all reported cases (see map).
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alone accounts for 2/3 of reported cases.
HAT primarily occurs in the poorest, most rural areas in Africa, where difficulty of diagnosis, political instability, and lack of health surveillance make estimates of disease prevalence difficult to ascertain. 		Transmission
Transmitted to humans by tsetse flies, HAT is caused by two sub-species of the kinetoplastid protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei: T. b. gambiense (west African), T. b. rhodensiense (east African).
 
Symptoms
HAT occurs in two stages:
  •  stage 1 - the haemolymphatic phase – includes non-specific symptoms like headaches and bouts of fever (generally goes undiagnosed without active HAT surveillance).
  •  stage 2 - the later, neurologic phase – occurs when the parasite crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and can lead to serious sleep cycle disruptions, paralysis, progressive mental deterioration, and, ultimately, results in death without effective treatment.
 Patient Treatment Needs?
Improved treatment options for this fatal disease are urgently needed, particularly for stage 2.
  • A safe, effective, and practical stage 2 treatment would improve and simplify current case management. This drug should ideally work in both stages of disease.
  • A simple stage 1 treatment, to be used at the local health centre level, would increase access to treatment and coverage.

HAT



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