Need of entomological criteria to assess zero transmission of gambiense HAT

• Published in: PLoS neglected tropical diseases Vol. 15; no. 3; p. e0009235
• Main Author: Solano, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.03.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: African trypanosomiasis; Biology and Life Sciences; Children; Climate change; Control; Countries; Criteria; Disease; Disease transmission; Entomology; Environmental degradation; Environmental impact; Global warming; Health surveillance; Infections; Insecticides; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Parasitological research; Policy Platform; Protocols; Public health; Serology; Transmission; Tropical diseases; Vectors (Biology); Africa
• ISSN: 1935-2735; 1935-2727; 1935-2735
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009235

With this spectacular decrease in number of cases observed, some countries are in the process of submitting their dossier to WHO for the validation of elimination as public health problem, and some even are in the process of interrupting transmission. [...]the protocol aims at screening young children who were born after the mass treatment for filarial infection. Summary of the different situations of g-HAT in endemic countries or health districts and proposed usefulness of entomological criteria to assess g-HAT interruption of transmission. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009235.t001 Indeed, there are a number of areas where g-HAT was occurring in the past, but where it has nowadays disappeared due to the disappearance of the tsetse. In most of these areas, the reason for the disappearance of the tsetse is not a deliberate control action, but is due to global change, that includes mostly human growth and its impact on environment and global warming, both resulting in a destruction of the habitat of the riverine tsetse transmitting trypanosomes to humans.