The World Health Organization (WHO) is training African healthcare workers in Togo to administer acoziborole, a new single-dose oral treatment for sleeping sickness.
The first session, for French-speaking participants, runs from November 4 to 6, 2026, in Lomé. A second session for English-speaking countries is scheduled for November 9 to 11.
Health Workers From 10 Countries Learn New Treatment Protocol
Doctors, nurses and officials from national sleeping sickness control programs in 10 French-speaking African countries are attending the training. Participants will learn how to determine patient eligibility, administer the medication, monitor adverse reactions and provide follow-up care. They will then train other healthcare workers in their home countries.
At the opening ceremony, Dr. Kokou Wotobé, secretary-general of Togo's Health Ministry, described the introduction of acoziborole as a major advance in treating and controlling the disease. He said a single oral dose could significantly simplify care for eligible patients.
Wotobé said the training should help countries adopt the new treatment guidelines and introduce them gradually, safely and effectively into their healthcare systems.
According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), acoziborole is intended for adults and adolescents aged 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kilograms and have gambiense human African trypanosomiasis, the most common form of sleeping sickness. For eligible patients, the treatment can eliminate the need for lumbar punctures and hospitalization.
Clinical trials recorded treatment success rates of up to 96% after 18 months, according to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), an independent nonprofit medical research organization, and pharmaceutical company Sanofi. The Democratic Republic of the Congo approved the drug in June 2026.
Fewer Hospital Visits, Lower Treatment Burden
The simplified treatment could ease the burden on patients and healthcare facilities by reducing the need for travel and hospital stays. However, no estimates are currently available of how much it could save.
Sleeping sickness, formally known as human African trypanosomiasis, is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of an infected tsetse fly. It affects the nervous system and can cause sleep disturbances and behavioral changes. Without treatment, the disease can be fatal.
According to the WHO, fewer than 1,000 cases are now reported annually across Africa, compared with approximately 25,000 cases detected in 1995.
Togo, which received WHO validation for eliminating sleeping sickness as a public health problem in 2020, is hosting the training sessions as part of efforts to maintain surveillance and prevent the disease from returning.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi