[Campaign against sleeping sickness in South-West Uganda by trapping tsetse flies]

Abstract

An outbreak of human trypanosomiasis due to Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense has been affecting the Busoga district of Uganda since 1976. More than 40,000 cases have been recorded up to 1990. Since two years the epidemic area has been extending to the Tororo district. The vector is Glossina fuscipes. In order to stop the disease transmission a vector control project was launched in 1988 in Busoga area. It is based on tsetse fly trapping, using pyramidal optic traps impregnated with deltamethrin (10 traps per square kilometer). The results were excellent. Everywhere fly populations were reduced by more than 95%. In some parishes flies elimination was achieved. The number of new human cases of trypanosomiasis has been reduced in the same proportions. A complete break down of the transmission in the Busoga area can be reasonably expected in the near future. Since 1990 the trapping has been extended to the epidemic areas of the Tororo District. The results after only a few months were also excellent. Because cattle in the main blood source for tsetse flies in this area, the monthly treatment of cattle with pour-on of deltamethrin has been experimented in a small area to strengthen trapping. First results are promising. The cost of the protection is 0.9 US $ per person and per year.