2020•PLoS neglected tropical diseasesOpen access
Trypa-NO! contributes to the elimination of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis by combining tsetse control with “screen, diagnose and treat” using innovative tools and strategies
Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, Alain Boulangé, Albert Picado, Albert Mugenyi, Allan Mortensen, Andrew Hope, Brahim Guihini Mollo, Bruno Bucheton, Charles Wamboga, Charles Waiswa, Dramane Kaba, Enock Matovu, Fabrice Courtin, Gala Garrod, Geoffrey Gimonneau, Georgina V. Bingham, Hassane Mahamat Hassane, Iñaki Tirados, Isabel Saldanha, Jacques Kaboré, Jean-Baptiste Rayaissé, Jean-Mathieu Bart, Jessica Lingley, Johan Esterhuizen, Joshua Longbottom, Justin Pulford, Lingué Kouakou, Lassina Sanogo, Lucas J. Cunningham, Mamadou Camara, Mathurin Koffi, Michelle C. Stanton, Mike Lehane, Moïse Kagbadouno, Oumou Camara, Paul R. Bessell, Mallaye Péka, Philippe Solano, Richard Selby, Sophie Dunkley, Stephen J. Torr, Sylvain Biéler, Veerle Lejon, Vincent Jamonneau, Wilfried Yoni, Zachary Katz
Abstract
Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (g-HAT) is the chronic form of sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in West and Central Africa, while Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense causes an acute form in eastern Africa. g-HAT is targeted for elimination as a public health problem by 2020 and 0 transmission by 2030 [1,2]. Control of g-HAT is largely based on identification and treatment of infected individuals, supplemented by control of the tsetse fly vectors [3]. There has been growing evidence that when both tsetse control and case identification activities are carried out simultaneously in the same geographies, elimination of the disease is accelerated [4–6]. Here, we describe how the Trypa-NO! Partnership is using novel and classical tools to drive g-HAT elimination in an integrated approach, progress made, lessons learnt, and future directions. The Trypa-NO! Partnership was established in September 2016 to support National Sleeping Sickness Control Programmes (NSSCP) in Chad, Coˆte d’Ivoire, Republic of Guinea, and Uganda in driving elimination of g-HAT by integrating tsetse control with screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cases. The Partnership goals are to drive to 0 the annual number of g- HAT cases reported in Coˆte d’Ivoire and Uganda by 2020 and reduce cases by 90% in the Republic of Guinea and Chad by 2022.