HAT tip: researchers map African sleeping sickness In the 1960s,
we very nearly eliminated ‘Sleeping Sickness’, known today as
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) (1). But in the latter half
of the 20th Century there was a marked resurgence, and although
cases are now falling once again, an estimated 70 million people
are still thought to be at risk (2). Knowing exactly how many
people have the disease, or are at risk of contracting it, is
difficult, as cases tend to be concentrated in areas with little
or no access to health services. But researchers from the World
Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations and Edinburgh
University, have been working to map the levels of HAT risk in
affected populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Their study,
published in October 2012, provides both a striking visual
representation of the reach of HAT and a mine of information for
those working to eliminate the disease. HAT is one of 17
neglected tropical diseases identified by the World Health
Organisation. The disease, whic