Report of the first WHO stakeholders meeting on gambiense human African trypanosomiasis elimination
Geneva, 25–27 March 2014
Overview
In 2013, a WHO Expert Committee report was published, which provides a comprehensive update on new diagnostic tools, new therapeutic regimens and on the distribution of the disease with high-quality mapping. New information on the roles of human and animal reservoirs and the tsetse fly vectors is included as well. The report also contains recommendations on approaches for the elimination of g-HAT.
Considering the current situation of the disease, WHO convened a meeting of the main stakeholders working to fight g-HAT to analyse the current situation, the challenges to elimination and the needs for research in order to reinforce commitment to elimination and strengthen the mechanisms of collaboration through a structured network of stakeholders. The meeting focused on g-HAT caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, prevalent in West and Central Africa, which accounts for around 98% of all reported cases of HAT.
As rhodesiense HAT (r-HAT) is a zoonosis with both domestic and wild hosts, its elimination as total interruption of transmission is not considered technically feasible at this time. Elimination of r-HAT requires a tailored and multisectoral approach not necessarily the same as that developed for g-HAT. A meeting is planned in October 2014 to formulate objectives for control of r-HAT, identify gaps in operational research, select partners and stakeholders, and set up a coordination network.
The objectives of the meeting were:
- To step up the commitment of national authorities and technical and financial partners to WHO’s elimination objective for g-HAT.
- To share achievements, challenges and views on the elimination goal among countries and implementing partners.
- To assess the status of critical technical aspects to be solved in research and development of drugs and diagnostic tools, epidemiology, vector control and animal reservoirs.
- To define the mechanisms for strengthening and organizing collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.