here’s a breakdown of the information from the text, answering the question of what HAT is and providing key details:
What is HAT?
HAT stands for Human African Trypanosomiasis. It’s a vector-borne parasitic disease.
Cause: It’s caused by the blood parasite Trypanosoma brucei.
Transmission: It’s transmitted to humans through the bites of infected tsetse flies.
Where it’s found: Only in Africa.
Forms: There are two forms: gambiense and rhodesiense.Kenya has the rhodesiense form (r-HAT).
Severity: The rhodesiense form progresses rapidly, invading organs like the brain, and is fatal without treatment within weeks.
Risk Groups: Rural populations involved in agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry, or hunting are most at risk.
Kenya’s Achievement
Kenya is the second country in Kenya to eliminate HAT as a public health problem, following the elimination of Guinea worm disease in 2018.
No new indigenous cases have been reported in over 10 years (last one in 2009). The last imported cases were in 2012.* kenya has strengthened surveillance and diagnostic capabilities.
