# Sleeping sickness cases down 98% since 1999, WHO reports

> A new World Health Organization report points to major progress against neglected tropical diseases, but warns that patchy funding and rising dengue cases could threaten the gains.

- Published: 2026-11-05 by Tickety-Boo News
- Section: Health
- Location: Global
- Web page: https://ticketyboonews.co.uk/stories/sleeping-sickness-cases-down-98-since-1999-who-reports/
- Original report: [WHO hails progress against neglected tropical diseases](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-hails-neglected-tropical-diseases.html) (Medical Xpress)

## In brief

- WHO's new report says sleeping sickness cases have fallen 98% since 1999.
- Guinea worm caused just ten human cases last year, the lowest ever recorded.
- WHO warns funding is 30% below pre-pandemic levels and dengue cases hit a record in 2024.

The World Health Organization has reported "major progress" against neglected tropical diseases, with sleeping sickness all but disappearing. The findings appear in a new report released on Wednesday.

Neglected tropical diseases, known as NTDs, are a varied group of conditions found mainly in poorer tropical regions. Dengue, leprosy and rabies are among them, and all have been largely overlooked.

The report says a growing number of countries have now eliminated at least one of these diseases. Compared with 2010, the number of people who need treatment has dropped by over a third, and stood at 1.41 billion in 2024.

Sleeping sickness cases have fallen by 98% since 1999, which is no mean feat. Guinea worm disease, meanwhile, caused only ten human infections last year, the lowest tally ever recorded.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the elimination of NTDs one of the standout success stories of global health. The agency also noted that scientific advances have brought fresh tools for prevention and treatment, among them a dengue vaccine.

The picture is not all rosy. A record 15.1 million dengue cases were counted in 2024, and deaths from vector-borne NTDs as a whole have gone up.

Money is the other concern. Between 2018 and 2024, a handful of donors supplied nearly 80% of international aid for this work, leaving it exposed to the steep cuts in global aid that began last year. WHO says the funding available is still 30% below its level before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tedros warned that progress won with such effort could readily be undone. "Countries and partners must step up, not step back," he said.

He called for countries to put more domestic money into the cause and to build NTD services into primary health care. WHO also asked donors to widen their support, and urged countries receiving aid to draw on a greater variety of funding sources.

## Why it matters

A fall of more than a third in the number of people needing treatment, and near-disappearance of diseases such as sleeping sickness, show that long-neglected conditions can be pushed back. The report also makes plain that the work is unfinished, with dengue still rising and funding resting on a small group of donors. Protecting the progress means keeping treatment going and spreading the financial load more widely.