The 37th General Conference of the International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) is being held in Nairobi.
The conference with the theme, “Harnessing One Health Technologies and Innovations Towards Eliminating Trypanosomiasis in Africa,” underscores the urgent need to address the disease, which remains one of Africa’s greatest constraints to socio-economic development.
The conference under the auspices of African Union Commission (AUC)’s African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), in partnership with the Government of Kenya and the Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council (KENTTEC) will culminate in the adoption of recommendations to guide research, control and elimination strategies of Trypanosomiasis which causes sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in livestock.
Trypanosomiasis continues to impact both human and animal health across Africa, limiting livestock productivity, agricultural development, and rural livelihoods.
The ISCTRC has convened biennial conferences since 1949, serving as a platform for scientists, policymakers, field control workers, and partners to exchange knowledge, review progress, and chart pathways for trypanosomiasis research and control.
Over 100 scientific papers will be presented, spanning Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), Animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT), tsetse fly biology and control, and environment, land use and socio-economic impacts of the disease will be presented at the 37th Conference
Reports will be presented from AU Member States, the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) initiative, Research Institutions, Universities and international partners including FAO, WHO, IAEA, WOAH, ICIPE, Find, DNDi, GALVmed and Gates Foundation.
“Trypanosomiasis continues to impact both human and animal health across Africa, limiting livestock productivity, agricultural development, and rural livelihoods,” says the statement in part, and adds, “Progress is being made, with Kenya being declared by the WHO in 2025 to have eliminated rhodesiense human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem.”
AU-IBAR Director and Chairperson of ISCTRC, Dr. Huyam Salih said that African animal trypanosomiasis remains a significant challenge, and 38 African countries still face substantial challenges with both the human and animal forms of the disease.
“The ISCTRC Conference is Africa’s scientific heartbeat in the fight against trypanosomiasis. It is here that science and innovations meet policy, ensuring countries have the knowledge and partnerships they need to overcome this disease,” notes Dr. Salih.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe in a statement ahead of the ISCTRC notes that, “Kenya is proud to host the 37th ISCTRC Conference at a historic moment when we have been declared free of human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem. This is both a milestone and a responsibility, and we look forward to sharing our experience with other African nations while learning from theirs.”
The International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) is a statutory body of the African Union Commission. Since 1949, it has convened biennial conferences to facilitate scientific exchange and guide continental policy on trypanosomiasis research, control, and elimination.
