Description of the first sleeping sickness case diagnosed in Burkina Faso since two decades

Burkina Faso belongs to a group of countries in which human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, is no longer considered to be a public health problem.Although no native cases have been detected since 1993, there is still the risk of HAT re-emergence due to significant population movements between Burkina Faso and active HAT foci in Co ˆte d'Ivoire.Since 2014, Burkina Faso receives support from the WHO to implement a passive surveillance program.This resulted in the detection in 2015 of the first putative native HAT case since two decades.However, epidemiological entomological and molecular biology investigations have not been able to identify with certainty the origin of this infection or to confirm that it was due to T. b. gambiense.This case emphasises the need to strengthen passive surveillance of the disease for sustained elimination of HAT as a public health problem in Burkina Faso. Author summaryIn 2012, the roadmap for the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) of the World Health Organization (WHO) included human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) to be eliminated as a public health problem by 2020.To reach this ambitious objective in Burkina Faso, where the vector (and consequently a risk of HAT re-emergence) is still present, a passive surveillance system based on sentinel sites was established in the southwestern part of the country, considered to be the most at-risk area.The implementation of this system recently resulted in the diagnosis of the first putative native sleeping sickness case since two decades.Although the origin of this infection and how the patient was infected could not be identified, the detection of this native case confirms that HAT re-emergence