Caused by tse tse flies and rated as one of the neglected tropical ailments in the developing world, the disease is already spreading to new areas of Uganda where it was once eradicated.

Speaking at a health innovation workshop that was organized by the African Center for Technology Studies (ACTS) at the World Agroforetsry Center, Nairobi, Welburn said that Kaborama, Dokolo, Lira, Apac and the adjacent districts are at high risk at the moment.

Welburn blames the spread to lack of sufficient funding from the government and Uganda’s development partners towards tse tse eradication and the impenetrable terrain where the flies breed. 

Sleeping sickness was first reported in Uganda in the late 1970s when infected Ugandans who had migrated to Southern Sudan during a coup that overthrew former President late Iddi Amin Dada returned home. 

The European Union later on funded the epidemics eradication efforts in the early 1980s that returned very success results. But this is now history. 

Welburn however notes that the trapping of tsetse is less effective adding that 90 percent of the flies are unlikely to carrying the pathogens. 

 “The re-emergence of the disease has been occasioned by indifference in its eradication approach whereby departments of health, agriculture and veterinary are working separately,” observes Dr. Dawson Mbulamberi, Ugandan Assistant Commissioner of Health in charge of Decontrol of vector borne diseases. 

Dr. Mbulamberi noted that discussions on forming one formidable multidisciplinary team from all departments to help combat the menace are currently underway. 

Already, through the governments Sectoral Wide Approach policy, the Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union have agreed to support the human health programmes to help manage the affected populations. 

“Whereas tsetse is found in all corners of the country, the human disease it causes is mainly found in the eastern and southern parts of the country at the border with Kenya, north and north western bordering southern Sudan,” says Dr. Mbulamberi. 

But things seem to moving on a positive path in Kenya. The Director of Kenya Trypanosomiasis Research Institute (KETRI), Dr. Grace Murila says that Kenya is moving closer to eradicating the disease. 

“With the current zero prevalence of the infection in Lambwe valley in Nyanza province, a region that has had the highest number of cases, our attention is now moving towards the parasites in animals – both livestock and wildlife.” 

KETRI has embarked on a training programme where primary school teachers and pupils are taught on how to detect the disease, says Mulira.