<i>Taenia solium</i> Cysticercosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Perspectives for a Better Control

Abstract

For decades, Taenia solium cysticercosis (TSC) has remained an important constraint for public health and economic well being of the predisposed communities. Despite the fact that the disease is easily preventable, humans remain foci for transmission. They harbour the mature form of the parasite (Taenia solium) which may be curable at this stage and also easily prevented from contaminating pig feeds and environment with eggs of the parasite to break the cycle. Researchers, knowledgeable communities and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation work hard to make the disease a history. Nevertheless, persistence of the disease in endemic regions such as sub Saharan Africa is kept on increasing. While TSC in human may serve as a silent killer as it can go unnoticed for years, the immanent social cultural settings and lifestyles of the communities in endemic areas form the main concern on the epidemiology of the disease. Unless lifestyles change in endemic regions, front line research might rarely find its way into applications in an area of huge societal and economic impact, the TSC epidemiology. Sincerely, transmission of TSC is favoured by poor sanitation and hygiene which is motivated by lifestyle and poverty. What is perhaps missing is the knowledge on “why is the communities involved ease indiscriminately while almost every member of the community in endemic areas knows that indiscriminate defecation may harm their health? What social drivers are behind this motive (bush defecation)? How best can the disease be controlled and monitored? This review recommends for developing and implementing an interdisciplinary OneHealth community-based control mechanism and monitoring (surveillance) programme as standpoints towards eliminating TSC in sub-Saharan Africa and the rest endemic regions.