Vestergaard Sàrl (www.Vestergaard.com) announced today, World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day, that it has signed the Kigali Declaration on NTDs (http://apo-opa.co/4gfeq9G), formalizing the company’s commitment to support sleeping sickness elimination efforts through the ongoing donation of “Tiny Targets” for vector control of the disease. The Kigali Declaration, launched in Kigali, Rwanda in June 2022, is a high-level, political declaration that is mobilizing political will, communities, resources and action, and securing commitments needed to end suffering caused by NTDs. By signing, Vestergaard joins the 83 existing governments and organizations that have already endorsed the Declaration.

Sleeping sickness, known scientifically as human African trypanosomiasis, is an NTD endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It is caused by protozoan parasites transmitted by infected tsetse flies (http://apo-opa.co/3Ei3Q4n), and without treatment the disease is generally fatal. The gambiense form of the disease accounts for 92% of all cases, and the majority of people exposed to the disease live in rural areas.

Yesterday, Guinea was announced as the eighth country to achieve elimination (http://apo-opa.co/42AHd5l) of gambiense sleeping sickness a public health problem. In 2023 just 675 cases were reported, down from 27,862 in 1999 – a drop of 98% (http://apo-opa.co/4h75zIl). The World Health Organization (WHO) road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021−2030 (http://apo-opa.co/4hj6YvE) now targets this disease for elimination of transmission in 15 countries by 2030.

The TrypaNO! and TrypElim partnerships were established to integrate control of the tsetse flies that carry the sleeping sickness parasite with a “screen, diagnose and treat” strategy, with the aim of driving cases to zero (http://apo-opa.co/4hcAyTp). With partners including the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (http://apo-opa.co/4jynwB7), IRD (http://apo-opa.co/4jzK30t), FIND (http://apo-opa.co/4jDJhj1), and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) (http://apo-opa.co/4jNGOmm), Vestergaard contributes to TrypaNO! and TrypElim by manufacturing Tiny Targets that attract and kill the tsetse flies to prevent infections being passed along to humans. Tsetse flies are particularly attracted to a specific shade of blue, so Tiny Targets use this colour to attract them, and they then fly onto Vestergaard’s innovative insecticide-treated fabric.

Since 2020, Vestergaard has donated Tiny Targets. In signing the Kigali Declaration on NTDs, the company is formalizing this commitment to donate up to 150,000 Tiny Targets every year to help achieve the 2030 elimination target for sleeping sickness as set out in the WHO road map for NTDs. This commitment is publicly available in the Kigali Declaration commitment tracker (http://apo-opa.co/4hexm9D), an online accountability mechanism that publicly tracks and manages commitments made against NTDs that is managed by Uniting to Combat NTDs.

Amar Ali, CEO of Vestergaard, said: “Disease elimination can feel like a lofty aim, but for some NTDs like sleeping sickness, we’re really close. This success is due to strong partnerships, with multiple stakeholders working together to establish a fully integrated strategy of effective vector control, diagnosis and treatment – as well as essential cross-border support from countries for the implementation of these tools. It is a great demonstration of what can be achieved when the necessary interventions are made available and accessible when and where they are needed. We thank our TrypaNO! partners for their ongoing support, and Uniting to Combat NTDs for the opportunity to formalize our commitment to continue donating Tiny Targets as we work together to achieve the WHO elimination goals.”

Dr Andrew Hope, Senior Programme Manager at LSTM, said: “Vestergaard has been a partner in the Tiny Targets programme since its inception.  In the early stages, they made major technical contributions to the materials and design of Tiny Targets and then followed this up with annual donations of Tiny Targets.  They are essential partners in the effort to eliminate sleeping sickness.”

Dr Isatou Touray, Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs, said: “Vestergaard’s signing of the Kigali Declaration and ongoing donation of Tiny Targets for sleeping sickness control is a powerful demonstration of how innovation and partnerships can accelerate progress toward the WHO 2030 NTD goals. As we navigate an increasingly challenging global financing landscape, commitments like Vestergaard’s are more important than ever to protect the gains we’ve made and continue driving down transmission. Achieving the WHO targets requires coordinated efforts and novel tools like Tiny Targets that are tailored to the unique challenges of diseases such as sleeping sickness. We celebrate partners like Vestergaard who remain steadfast in their commitment to improving the lives of millions of people worldwide and ensuring that NTD elimination becomes a reality.”