Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is caused by Trypanosoma brucei
gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense and caused devastating epidemics during the 20th
century. Due to effective control programs implemented in the last two decades, the
number of reported cases has fallen to a historically low level. Although fewer than
977 cases were reported in 2018 in endemic countries, HAT is still a public health
problem in endemic regions until it is completely eliminated. In addition, almost 150
confirmed HAT cases were reported in non-endemic countries in the last three
decades. The majority of non-endemic HAT cases were reported in Europe, United
States and South Africa, due to historical alliances, economic links or geographic
proximity to disease endemic countries. Furthermore, with the implementation of the
“Belt and Road” project, sporadic imported HAT cases have been reported in China
as a warning sign of tropical diseases prevention. In this paper, we explore and
interpret the data on HAT incidence and find no positive correlation between the
number of HAT cases from endemic and non-endemic countries.This data will
provide useful information for better understanding the imported cases of HAT
globally in the post-elimination phase
