France, Aug. 23 -- Kenya's success in the fight against deadly sleeping sickness marks a milestone in the African continent's battle to eradicate neglected tropical diseases.

Kenya has been officially recognised as having eliminated sleeping sickness as a public health issue, the World Health Organization announced this month.

The achievement makes Kenya the 10th African country to reach this milestone, after years of sustained efforts.

Sleeping sickness - formally known as human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) - is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly.

Without treatment, the infection is almost always fatal, but Kenya's decades of vigilance and investment in public health have paid off.

"I congratulate the gov...