Single-Dose Sleeping Sickness Treatment Gains Ground
Health workers across 10 French-speaking countries are learning to administer acoziborole, a single-dose oral treatment for adults and adolescents with the gambiense form.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Diseases — General
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The World Health Organization trained African health professionals in Lomé, Togo on administering acoziborole, a single-dose oral treatment for sleeping sickness. Doctors, nurses and national program officials from 10 French-speaking countries are taking part in the session running November 4 to 6, 2026, and a second session for English-speaking countries is scheduled for November 9 to 11.
Why it matters
Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis, is transmitted through the bite of an infected tsetse fly, and a single-dose oral option could simplify care for affected patients. Training local clinicians is what allows the drug to reach the communities where cases still occur.
Clinical trials of acoziborole showed treatment success rates of up to 96% after 18 months in patients with the gambiense form of the disease. Africa's annual case count has fallen from approximately 25,000 detected in 1995 to fewer than 1,000 today, though the trial follow-up window does not extend beyond 18 months.
The players
World Health Organization (WHO)
The United Nations agency that coordinates global public health, including programs targeting neglected tropical diseases such as sleeping sickness.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The country whose health authorities approved acoziborole in June 2026, a region where sleeping sickness has historically been concentrated.
The details
Acoziborole is intended for adults and adolescents aged 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kilograms and have the gambiense form of the disease. Participants in the Lomé training learn which patients qualify, how to administer the drug, monitor its safety and provide follow-up care, and they will then train other health professionals in their home countries. The single-dose regimen could eliminate the need for routine lumbar punctures used to determine disease stage, and could reduce travel costs and hospital stays.
Timeline
2020: WHO recognized Togo as the first African country to eliminate sleeping sickness as a public health problem.
1995: Approximately 25,000 sleeping sickness cases were detected in Africa.
June 2026: The Democratic Republic of Congo approved acoziborole.
November 4 to 6, 2026: The French-language WHO training session runs in Lomé, Togo.
November 9 to 11, 2026: The English-language WHO training session is scheduled.
Health Landscape
Togo's 2020 WHO recognition as the first African country to eliminate sleeping sickness as a public health problem marks an early milestone in a long decline from about 25,000 detected cases in 1995. Acoziborole adds a single-dose oral option to that trajectory, with its benefits still to be tested beyond the reported trial window.
If you live in or travel to parts of sub-Saharan Africa, sleeping sickness symptoms such as prolonged fever, headaches and sleep disturbance are worth raising with a clinician promptly. Anyone with concerns about exposure should discuss testing and treatment options with a doctor rather than self-treating.
The takeaway
Sleeping sickness cases have fallen sharply across Africa, and new single-dose treatment training is helping extend that progress. If you have travel exposure to affected regions, ask your doctor about tsetse fly bite risks and any symptoms that warrant testing.
What happens next
The English-language WHO training session for English-speaking countries is scheduled for November 9 to 11, 2026, in Lomé, Togo.
Further reading
For broader context on how this work fits into the wider field, explore Diseases — General coverage on We are Healthy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Ecofin Agency.
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