Earlier this month, Europes drug regulatory agency approved a new treatment for the deadly disease known as sleeping sickness . The medication is poised to help eliminate this ancient illness, which was detected in about 2,000 people last year, mostly in Africa.

The achievement was no small feat. And getting the drug into the hands of people who need it most could be a monumental challenge in the months to come.

Fexinidazole (fexi for short) is set to be distributed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the majority of sleeping sickness cases still occur, and other endemic regions in Africa by mid-2019. Health workers in Congo must navigate violent clashes, extreme poverty and minimal infrastructure, all of which can hinder drug delivery and patient checkups in rural and isolated areas of the country.

In Congos volatile east, for example, the worst Ebola outbreak in the countys history is unfolding amid a longstanding conflict involving more than 100 armed groups. The violence has complicated efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Still, researchers who successfully conducted a trial of fexi in the Congo and neighboring Central African Republic last year are confident about fighting sleeping sickness in the future.

I feel indescribable relief and immense joy, said Dr. Victor Kande, who headed the clinical trials in both countries. Fexinidazole is the answer to my dreams.