A new dawn: One pill conquers sleeping sickness

KENTTEC's zoologist Nancy Miron explains to a farmer Hassan Ibrahim how a biconical tsetse fly trap works to prevent the spread of sleeping sickness in Kina, isiolo county, on March 5, 2017. [File, Standard]

The small, dusty village of Bagata feels a familiar chill run through it every time the sun dips below the horizon, but it isn't just the evening air. It is the creeping shadow of Ndoki, the "sleeping sickness," a silent assassin that has haunted generations. For Mama Adisa, the fear became a brutal reality when her vibrant 14-year-old grandson, Kito (not his real name), began to change. His usual boundless energy faded into a lethargy that deepened with each passing day. The playful twinkle in his eyes dulled, replaced by a vacant stare. "He would fall asleep unexpectedly, sometimes even mid-sentence," his mother narrates, adding that the tremors began soon after, violent shakes that wracked his small frame. Adisa knew the signs. She had seen Ndoki claim too many, slowly stealing their loved ones until they slept forever.